Objection!
by 801tman
Summary: Trucy is attending a magic show in Kurain Village. However, it has been seven years since Phoenix and Maya have seen each other. What has changed in Maya's life?
1. Chapter 1

Phoenix Wright was sitting in his office looking over the case files for Apollo and sighed. How long was it since he had a case? He had retaken the bar exam and was planning to become an attorney again. The only thing he lacked was an assistant. He had tried to call Maya, but she never picked up. Letting out another big sigh, Phoenix put down the case files and put his head in his hands. Suddenly, Trucy popped in.

"Hey daddy, guess what?"

"What is it Trucy?" Phoenix asked.

"There is a magic show competition that is going to start next week and I want to go. Will you please take me there?"

Phoenix stood up, walked up to Trucy, and said, "How long is this competition? The last one we went to, I had to drive a whole day straight in order to get there on time."

Trucy giggled, remembering that she had forgotten that to tell her dad that the magic competition would be held in St. Louis, and she had told him the day before the competition started. Looking up at her adoptive father, replied, "Don't worry, you don't have to even drive there. We can take the train there."

"Oh, where exactly is this place?"

"Kurain Village."

Phoenix's eyes widened, knowing that his former assistant, Maya Fey, lived there. Phoenix had actually fallen in love with his former assistant, but he didn't tell her the day she left to fulfill her duties as the Master.

Phoenix looked at his adoptive daughter and asked, "Are you sure you want to go to this competition? I mean, you've never even been on a train before. Are you sure you won't get train sick or something?"

Trucy looked up at her father and said, "I want to go dad! I want to go really, really badly."

Phoenix sighed and said, "Ok, I'll take you there, when do we have to leave?"

Trucy looked down, "We have to be there tomorrow. The people in the competition have to be taught the rules of the Kurain village before we can participate. If we don't, we could anger the elders by breaking the rules."

Phoenix looked at Trucy and smiled. "Well, I guess we'll be going on a train tomorrow."

Trucy looked up at Phoenix and smiled. "Oh thank you daddy! I'll go get packed right now!"

Trucy leaned up and kissed Phoenix on the cheek, and ran to her room.

Phoenix went back to his desk and sat back down. He leaned back and remembered all the fun times he had with Maya. He always loved Maya's smile, her energy, and her love for burgers, although Phoenix was sure his wallet didn't. He remembered the last time he saw Maya, seven years ago. She was about to get on the train to go back to Kurain village. At was a perfect time to confess how he really felt about her, but he failed and didn't confess. Now, seven years later, Phoenix was still regretting his decision.

While Phoenix was still deep in thought, Apollo walked in.

"Hey Phoenix, about the case tomorrow, Detective Gumshoe gave me the results of the fingerprints of the gun. They belong to a man named Jesus Bariallas. Looks like the case is going to be pretty easy tomorrow."

"Well, I hope so because you won't have me there to help you this time."

"Why not?"

"Trucy and I are going to attend a Magic show competition in Kurain Village, and we have to leave tomorrow."

"Ah, wait, doesn't your former assistant Maya live there?"

"Yup…" At the mention of Maya's name, his heartbeat sped up.

"Well, I hope you two are happy to see each other again."

"Me too, Apollo, me too."


	2. Chapter 2

Phoenix Wright was a nervous wreck. First, he woke up late and then burnt breakfast. After taking a quick shower, Phoenix shakily got dressed. He then cut himself shaving, used Trucy's lotion as toothpaste, (which didn't taste that bad to him) and then couldn't find his shoes. After ten minutes of searching, he finally found them buried in his room. Quickly taking them out, Phoenix then went to the front door where he saw Trucy looking angrily at him.

"What took you so long dad? The train's gonna leave in thirty minutes."

"Sorry Trucy, but I'm just a bit nervous. Did you get everything packed?"

"Yes, but I can't find my lotion anywhere."

Phoenix smiled but didn't say anything about where it was.

"Well, it's too late to get it now."

Phoenix and Trucy rushed out of the building and waited a couple minutes before they were able to wave down a taxi. Setting their luggage in the trunk, they got into the back of the taxi and Phoenix told the driver to take them to the train station.

Fifteen minutes later, Phoenix and Trucy arrived at the train station. After paying the cab driver, Phoenix and Trucy rushed to the train they were supposed to be on. Luckily for them, they had not stopped the boarding process yet so they were able to get on.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Phoenix and Trucy picked a row to sit and collapsed. After a couple minutes, the train began moving. "We made it" thought Phoenix until a horrible reality set in.

"Trucy, did you take the luggage out of the trunk?"

"No, I thought you would do that."

"Dammit! Now what are we supposed to wear?"

"I'm sure SOMEONE will have extra clothes there."

"Yeah, for you, their culture revolves around women so I guarantee you that all they'll have are dresses or spirit medium costumes."

Trucy started laughing hysterically and said, "I can't imagine you wearing a dress."

Phoenix shook his head. "I want to spare myself the mental image. I wouldn't want to scare the kids away from me."

"Believe me, with the way you look after your shave…you'd still scare them."

Phoenix just smiled and looked out the window. He saw the scenery around them fly by as the train rolled on. He remembered the last time years ago when he visited Kurain Village. Maya was charged with murder and he had to come to her rescue. Phoenix smiled remembering the trial in which he handed Von Karma her first defeat. Trucy noticed his smile but didn't ask what he was smiling about.

After what seemed like an eternity to Phoenix, the train finally stopped.

"Ahh…it feels good to finally move my legs again." Phoenix said while stretching.

"Yes it is. How much farther do we have to go to get to Kurain Village?"

"About a ten minute walk."

Phoenix and Trucy started walking up a hill. The hill looked just like Phoenix remembered it…nothing but dirt. He occasionally saw a spirit medium walk by on the other side, but they paid no attention to the two of them. Finally, they reached the top of the hill, to see Kurain Village at the bottom.

"There it is Trucy, Kurain Village."

Trucy's eyes sparkled with joy as they walked down the path. A couple minutes later, they were on the outskirts of town. Walking by a few buildings, Phoenix saw a familiar person.

"Pearls!"

Pearl turned around, shocked to see Phoenix.

"Mr. Nick!"

Pearl ran to Phoenix and game him a hug.

"How are you Pearls?"

"I'm doing great Mr. Nick."

"That's good. Hey, where do I take Trucy to help set up for the magic show next week?"

"The director of the show is just past that house" Pearl pointed to the house a several feet down.

"Ok, thanks Pearls."

"No problem. Ummm…Mr. Nick?"

"Yes Pearls?"

"Are you here to um see…Mystic Maya?"

Flustered, Phoenix blurted out, "No, I'm here to take Trucy to the Magic show. That's all…"

Pearl looked at him with a smirk on her face, then walked off.

Phoenix and Trucy started walking again to the spot Pearl directed them. Within seconds, Trucy was talking to the director of the show. Looking around, Phoenix noticed how Kurain Village went all out for the talent show. They had a big stage, spotlights, and, of course, plenty of chairs for people to sit. Phoenix then looked back at Trucy and watched as she talked with the director, an overweight, middle-age man. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Nick!"

Surprised, Phoenix turned around to see Maya.


	3. Chapter 3

Phoenix was stunned. He did not expect to see Maya so soon, but here she was, standing before him. "Oh, hi Maya!" "Stay cool, Phoenix, stay cool" Phoenix thought.

"What are you doing here Nick? Are you here for a case or something?"

"No, I was just taking Trucy to the Magic show for next week. She said that she needed to be here a week earlier before the show actually begins. So how have you been Maya? It's been about seven years hasn't it?"

"Yep Nick, and sadly, during those seven years…I haven't even eaten a SINGLE burger! The elders believe that the burgers would clog up my arteries. Can you believe that?"

"Well…." Phoenix was about to say yes when he heard someone call out Maya's name.

"Maya, where have you been? You were supposed to have met me in front of Mystic Ami's statue!"

"Oh, sorry Jonathan, I just saw Nick and I had to talk to him. I haven't seen him in AGES!"

Phoenix looked at Jonathan and thought "Who is he?"

As if reading Phoenix's thoughts, Jonathan replied, "Oh, sorry Mr. Wright. I did not properly introduce myself. My name is Jonathan Crinkle. I am the son of Mystic Mary."

"Oh, pleased to meet you." Phoenix stuck out his hand and Jonathan shook it, quite firmly.

"So, Maya was going to meet you? Not to sound rude, but what were you guys going to talk about?"

"Why, our wedding! We are engaged and our wedding is in eight days, the day after the magic show."

"We…we…WEDDING PLANS!?" Phoenix shouted, causing people to look his way.

Embarrassed, Phoenix lowered his voice and asked, "So, how long have you two been engaged?" Phoenix, even though he looked calm on the outside, was falling apart on the inside.

"We've been dating for two years and engaged for six months." Maya said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, well, congratulations" Phoenix squeaked. Noticing that Trucy was coming over to Phoenix, Maya asked, "Isn't that Trucy?"

"Yep, the future winner of the magic show competition."

"Wow, she has grown up a LOT since the last time I saw her."

"Well, it was seven years ago. I can see why she is" Phoenix smirked.

While they were talking, bot Maya and Phoenix noticed Jonathan's impatience as they talked. Not wanting to make anything awkward, Phoenix started stepping away saying, "Well, I gotta go ask Trucy what the director told her. It's been nice seeing you again Maya."

Maya looked a little sad as she saw Phoenix walk away. As he was leaving, she shouted out, "Oh, Phoenix, while you're in the village, can you take me to the usual burger joint? I'm sure Jonathan will take care of Trucy while we're gone."

Phoenix turned, smiled, and said, "Sure, what day?"

Maya thought for a second and said, "How about tomorrow?"

Phoenix nodded, "Ok, sounds good to me. See you then."

"See ya!" shouted Maya as she took Jonathan's hand in hers and headed toward Mystic Ami's statue.

Phoenix looked back as he saw them head toward the statue. Looking back at Trucy, he saw her eyes were sparkling. "Why are you so happy?" Phoenix asked.

"Oh, just that I'm gonna be the first one performing during the show!" Trucy excitedly told Phoenix. "You know how important that is since you can wow the judges before anyone else can!"

Laughing, Phoenix told Trucy that he was happy that she was first and couldn't wait to see her perform.

At Mystic Ami's statue, Maya noticed that Jonathan had a disgusted look on his face. "Honey, what wrong?"

"Nothing, just that Phoenix looks like a suspicious character to me."

"Who, Nick?" Maya gasped. "He's a good person, not to mention, he is the reason I am still alive right now."

"I know that. I just don't trust him, that's all."

Maya looked at Jonathan and smiled. She knew he was just trying to protect her from any danger. "Don't worry, Nick won't do anything to harm me."

Jonathan looked back at Maya and smiled. Maya then eagerly said, "Oh, just so you know, I do expect you to look after Trucy tomorrow while Nick and I go out for burgers."

Jonathan's smile vanished. He looked at Maya and asked, "Are you serious? I have to look after her?"

"Yes you do! Why are you acting like this? Trucy is a good person too, just by looking at her."

Jonathan just stared at Maya and said, "Whatever makes you happy…sweetie."

Hopefully you guys figured out why the story is called Objection. Chapter 4 should be up in a few days. Enjoy the story and don't forget to review.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you guys for over 250 views for my story. I know it's sappy and I'm trying to fix it, but until then, please enjoy my probably failed attempt to fix the sappiness while making a longer chapter than the others. Don't forget to review.

It was a long night for Phoenix. Not only did Kurain Village not have any hot water, but they insist that everyone wear a kimono while sleeping. Phoenix was not entirely pleased with his dress attire, but at least it was better than wearing a dress. As he lay on his mat, Phoenix tossed and turned. The news about Maya and Jonathan's wedding was a blow to him. He was too late. She was already in love with another man. There was something…curious about Jonathan though. He seemed like a good man, but Phoenix had a feeling that Jonathan was hiding something. Thinking back to all the times Phoenix saved Maya in the past, Phoenix thought, "What if I am destined to save her again?" "Nah, too sappy." (Phoenix somehow knew about the two reviews I have…)

After several hours of having uncomfortable thoughts about Jonathan and Maya, Phoenix got up to go for a walk but tripped because of the kimono. "Damn, no wonder guys don't wear things like these…" After Phoenix managed to slip out of his kimono and get back into his regular clothes, he stepped out of the house all the magic show participants were supposed to stay. Surprisingly, there were many spirit mediums already milling about, doing odd jobs and so forth. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Phoenix started walking, observing the spirit mediums doing their jobs. Suddenly, he ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there…Jonathan."

"Wright!" Phoenix thought Jonathan sounded a bit too surprised to see him. "What are you doing up this early? Don't all lawyers sleep in until they need to get up?"

"Very funny" Phoenix growled.

After an awkward silence, Jonathan just walked off. "What was wrong with Jonathan? What did I do to him?"

"Mr. Nick!"

Phoenix turned around to see Pearl standing behind him.

"Oh, hey Pearls. Aren't you supposed to be helping the others do their jobs?"

"No, I've already finished mine. So what were you and Jonathan talking about?"

Phoenix noticed that as soon as Pearl said his name, she scowled.

"Nothing really. Just that defense attorneys must be lazy…according to him."

"Mr. Nick, I don't want Mystic Maya to get married to Jonathan. He was always rude to me as a child. The only reason he talks to me now is because of Mystic Maya."

"Well, he's just trying to impress her, that's all."

Pearl opened her mouth to say something when the morning bell was struck, telling everyone it was time for breakfast.

"Well Mr. Nick, breakfast is waiting for me. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure Pearls, any time."

As Pearl was walking away, Phoenix smirked. Pearl always thought that he and Maya were "special someones." At one point, he would have adamantly denied it. However, ever since the case at Hazakura Temple, Pearl was right. "Maya…I really screwed things up."

Much to Phoenix's surprise, Maya asked, "Screwed what up Nick?"

Phoenix turned around, embarrassed. "Well…uh….the…fact that I forgot our luggage in the cab. Wait, no not o-our luggage but me and Trucy's luggage." Phoenix had never felt this flustered in his life.

"Oh." Phoenix could tell Maya wasn't buying it.

"So, why aren't you at breakfast?"

"The same reason you aren't, I have my own chefs. One of the perks of being the master."

"Wait, I have my own chef?"

"Duh! Everyone in the magic show does!"

"How do you do that? I don't remember Trucy telling me this."

"Well…I pulled a few strings with the elders and managed to get you guys your own chefs."

Phoenix looked at her and an awkward silence ensued.

"Well, I gotta get going, the master has to do her duties. See you in a couple hours Nick."

Maya skipped off leaving Phoenix dumbfounded. "Why did she pull strings for us to get personal cooks? Did she like the participants? Was it for him? Was it for the sappiness of the last lines? Phoenix didn't know. Walking back into the house, he spotted Trucy coming out of her room. She was already dressed with spirit medium clothes.

"Daddy! Their clothes itch like crazy!"

"Sorry Truce. I should have remembered the luggage. Should I go stop by our office and get some new clothes while I'm in town today?

"YES! Please? I can't stand this much longer."

Laughing, Phoenix talk Trucy he would and also told her about the person chefs that they were given. Trucy beamed and took Phoenix's hand and led him to the cafeteria. There were already a few people there. No spirit mediums, just average looking people…sort of.

After a couple minutes of searching, Phoenix managed to find his personal chef and ordered steak and eggs. While he sat down, he watched Trucy struggle to find her chef. Then, an ear-piercing screech came up from behind him.

"Why, Sweetie, you look FABULOUS!"

Phoenix's eyes widened as he looked behind him to see Maximillion Galactica standing behind him. "Oh, hey Max. Didn't expect to see you here."

"Why, Sweetie, because of my FABULOUS performance at the Berry Big Circus, I have been chosen to be a judge for the magic show. Quite a good choice considering the other two jokers are people from the Lilly Lopside Lecture."

"Lecture? Why are magicians from a lecture?"

"See, Sweetie. Only I, Maximillion Galactica, is truly FABULOUS!"

"Nice to see that your pride hasn't diminished since we last met. Oh, how is Regina?"

Max Galactica just looked at Phoenix and said, "Oh, look at the time, I really must be going Sweetie. See you later as you see me look FABULOUS!"

Phoenix watched as Max turned and walked away. Suddenly, Trucy popped in next to him.

"Hey, Daddy, your food is ready!"

"Oh, ok, thanks Truce."

Phoenix took his plate of food and sat down at the table. Trucy was busily eating pancakes, bacon, and sausage. "So, Trucy, I have to tell you something."

"What is it Daddy?"

"Maya and I will be going out for burgers later today. While I'm gone, Maya's Fiance will be in charge of you…sadly."

"Why is that Daddy?"

"Nothing. However, be on your best behavior, do you understand?"

"Yes Dad."

"Good."

The rest of the meal occurred without any bump-ins with anyone else. After both Phoenix and Trucy finished their breakfast, they stepped outside and sat down near a pond. After a few minutes, Trucy said that she had to go practice for her act, leaving Phoenix alone, deep in thought.

Meanwhile, in the woods, "Don't worry Mother. After their marriage, I'll make sure Maya's life will be a living hell until she "kills herself." After a pause, the voice continued, "He won't be a problem. I've already come up with a plan to deal with him."

Thanks again for reading this. If it was sappy…well…I tried. Please don't forget to review.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks everyone for reading the story. Hopefully this chapter also won't be sappy. And thank you Sixteen Vanilla Beans for reviewing the past two chapters. Honestly, I didn't plan to add that ending so I had to think of a scenario that would still fit in with the story. I did, eventually, so I hope you enjoy what is in store for the next chapters. Also, don't hate Jonathan juust yet. I still have plans for him.

Phoenix was just looking at himself in the mirror. He was about to go to Trucy to tell her Jonathan was in charge when Pearl came up to him.

"Uh…Mr. Nick?"

"Yes Pearls?"

"Um…are you gonna tell Mystic Maya you love her?"

"W-w-WHAT?!"

"Well, I've seen you look at her and…well…I was wondering if you were going to stop the wedding."

"Pearls, Maya loves Jonathan. Even if I did tell her I love her, it wouldn't change a thing."

"But…but…"

Pearl just looked at Phoenix and left the room, with tears in her eyes. Phoenix sighed, and looked at himself at the mirror again, thinking that he looked pretty good, considering he didn't shave. Taking one last look at himself, he left his room and looked for Trucy.

About thirty minutes later, Phoenix and Maya were waiting at the train station. Jonathan promised to take care of Trucy, and Trucy promised to be on her best behavior. However, Phoenix was still concerned about her. Train 206, the one they had bought a ticket for, arrived at the train station and allowed its passengers to get off. It wasn't long before they were both on the train. Sitting down, Phoenix turned to Maya and said, "Oh, Maya, I need to stop by the office while we're in town today. I sorta forgot my luggage in the cab and need to get more clothes."

Maya just shook her head and nodded. "So, how much has the office changed since I've last been there?"

"Uh…well…a lot. To be honest, it's a complete disaster right now. It's nothing like the way you remembered it."

Maya smiled and said, "Well, if I ever have time, I'll have to come visit and clean it up."

Phoenix grinned and settled in for the train ride. Several minutes later, the train finally started moving. Phoenix was sleepy from having a horrible night so he fell asleep quickly. After it seemed like he just closed his eyes, Phoenix awoke. He still felt tired and was tempted to go back to sleep, but he felt an extra weight on his shoulder. Looking, he saw that Maya had also fallen asleep. However, during the train ride, her head managed to rest on his shoulder. Startled, Phoenix instinctively moved his shoulder, causing Maya's head to come crashing down.

"Ow!" Maya awoke with a start. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"I don't know. All I know is that my head is hurting."

"Well, I don't know what happened" Phoenix lied. "Just go back to sleep."

Maya gave him a look, got back in a comfy position, and went back to sleep.

About forty minutes later, Phoenix heard the train sound an ear-piercing whistle, signaling that they reached the station. Waking Maya up, Phoenix casually got up, bumping into a lady looking like she was in her early thirties.

"Oh, sorry about th—"

Phoenix froze. In front of him was a gorgeous woman. She had long, brown hair, green eyes, and was about the same height as Phoenix.

"No, it was my fault really. I should have been watching where I was going. I've just been too stressed with work lately."

"Ah, well, we better get off the train before it decides to go back."

Stepping out of the train, Phoenix turned around and looked at the woman before him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maya, staring at him intently.

"What's your name?" Phoenix asked.

"My name is Felina Stutsman. I'm the CEO of BIG Insurance."

"Ah, sounds exciting, except for the paper work."

"Yeah, but its well worth the pay."

Maya cleared her throat, loudly. "We need to go! The burger are waiting."

"Well, sorry Felina. I gotta go buy her some burgers. It's been nice meeting you."

"Wait, before you go…can I have your phone number?"

Stunned, Phoenix quickly agreed and gave her his number. "Ok, I'll call you later." Felina said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'll look forward to it."

"Goodbye Phoenix."

Phoenix waved at her and walked away, not noticing that she knew his name without him telling her. Maya was tapping her foot as she waited for them to go. When Phoenix, after what seemed like hours to Maya, finally decided to leave, Maya punched him in the shoulder.

"What was that for?"

"You, we have to get there before noon in order to get three cheeseburger deluxes for only five dollars, and you just take your time talking to her."

"Sorry, but at least you get to have burgers again."

Maya smiled, eager to have the burgers she has craved for the past seven years.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned corner, "Don't worry Mother, the plan is going perfectly." After another pause, the voice started again, "It will work. Once this is over, both Phoenix Wright and Maya will be dead, and I'll be the master, as I should have been long ago."

Thanks again for reading this. I had a big writers block when I started writing this, so I hope it didn't turn out too bad. Don't forget to review.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks again everyone for reading this. I know the last chapter wasn't as good as the others because I had a writer's block, but hopefully I can make this chapter better. Just to be on the safe side, "I do not own Phoenix Wright or any characters except the ones I create. The other characters belong to CAPCOM." Also, I have started playing Apollo Justice so I will be able to get Trucy's personality right. Also, there is a spoiler for the last case of Trials and Tribulations. You've been warned.

Phoenix looked, amazed how many cheeseburger deluxes Maya could eat. She was on the sixth one and looked like she could be going for more. His wallet was almost empty as Maya stuffed the last cheeseburger in her mouth. Thankfully, she swallowed it and announced, "Well Nick, I'm stuffed."

"At last. I was getting worried that you would be getting even more."

"Nah, I'm not that mean. You still need the money to pay for the cab fare."

Phoenix smirked. He still had to learn to drive. Trucy kept nagging him to learn, but he just kept pushing it off. "Well Maya, we need to get going. I need to pack some things from the office."

"Don't worry, I still remembered that."

Phoenix and Maya stood up and left the burger joint. Waving down a cab, they hopped into the back seat and told the cab driver where to go. The driver nodded and took them to the "Wright Anything Agency." As both of them stepped inside, Maya gasped. Phoenix wasn't lying when he told her it was dirty. More like a pigsty. Can't you clean ANYTHING up?"

Phoenix smirked and went upstairs to get his and Trucy's clothes. As he was packing his clothes in a paper bag, he finally had a chance to reflect upon the past events, especially upon Felina. She was beautiful and seemed like she actually was interested in him. She was a bit younger than him, he could tell, but what of this age difference? He and Maya were years apart, yet he fell in love with her. As soon as he thought this, his heart sank. He was torn. He did still love Maya, but she was getting married. Sighing, he pack the last of his and Trucy's clothes and went to the bathroom to get his spare razor and shaving cream.

While Phoenix was packing, Maya was looking around the "Wright Anything Agency." She admitted to herself, it was completely different than what she remembered it as. The clean desk was long gone, replaced by tons of paper and boxes. She saw a plastic spaghetti statue in the middle of the room. "Why does Nick have that?" Maya wondered. Surprisingly, the door opened behind her. Turning around, she saw a well-dressed man in a red suit. Looking surprised, the mysterious man asked, "Who are you?"

"Um…I'm Maya, Maya Fey. I came with Nick because he has to re-pack his and Trucy's clothes."

"Oh, so you're Maya Fey! Finally, now I know who to picture whenever Mr. Wright talks about you."

"Nick talks about me?"

"Well, yeah, especially since—"

"Why hello Apollo! How was your trial yesterday?"

"Oh, hello Mr. Wright. My trial was just fine yesterday. I won easily because of the fingerprints on the gun. As I thought, Jesus Bariallas was the murderer."

"Ah, good job Apollo."

"Thank you sir."

"Well, as you now know, this is Maya Fey, my assistant when I was an attorney."

Maya and Apollo shook each other's hand. "Oh, Mr. Wright, I have to go…uh…I have to make sure they locked him up." With that, Apollo vanished.

"So, Nick, what did you tell Apollo about me?"

"Uh…just that you were a great assistant and helped me out."

"You better not have said anything bad about me Nick! Otherwise, I'll channel Mia and she can teach you a lesson!"

Phoenix smiled. It was a long time since he ever spoke to Mia. The last time he spoke with her was just after the Hazakura temple case. Phoenix had managed to find Godot as the killer and Mia was congratulating him. He missed those days though. It was a good thing he managed to pass the bar exam again. Now, he would be able to do what he loved doing best.

"Ok Maya, you can channel her later. Right now, we have to make sure we get on the train on time."

They left the office and as soon as Phoenix locked the door, his cell phone started ringing. Maya smiled, noticing it was the Steel Samurai theme.

"Hah! See Nick? I KNEW you liked that show!"

Phoenix rolled his eyes as he answered his phone. "Hello, this is Wright."

Maya watched Phoenix as his face went pale. "WHAT?! Are you sure you've looked everywhere?" After another pause, Phoenix shouted, "Don't worry! Maya and I will be there soon. Ok, bye."

"What happened?"

"Pearl is missing!"

Pearl awoke, feeling nauseous and tired. She looked up to see that she was in a room of some kind. She tried to move her arms but realized they were tied with rope, as with her legs.

"Where…where am I?"

"Ah, you're awake."

Pearl turned to see a person walk into view.

"Y…y…YOU!?"

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to update this story daily, since I expect this story to be a long one, but I won't guarantee you anything. Don't forget to review and thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

I did not expect this story to go the way it has gone. It went so far off track, I had to change the one genre from drama to suspense. Still, I think it is a better story than the one I originally was writing. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.

"Wh…why did you do this?" Pearl asked the figure in front of her.

"Why, Pearl my dear, you are necessary for my plan. If it wasn't for Misty Fey, I would have been the Master. I was the oldest daughter, outcaste by everyone. Both Morgan and Misty were never supposed to be the Master, not until that fateful day."

"But…but you don't have to do this. I'm sure if you explain the situation to Mystic Maya, she'll give up her claim to be the Master."

"Sorry, but I can't do that. She could come back one day to reclaim it, along with that stupid lawyer-friend of hers."

"Please don't do this! I beg of you, please don't."

"Too late, the plan has already been set into motion. All that is left to do now is to distract the only one who can stop this."

Phoenix and Maya stepped of the Train as soon as it came into the station near Kurain Village. After the ten minute hike, they came to Kurain Village and immediately spotted Jonathan and Trucy. Jonathan looked up at them and frowned, with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Maya. I should have kept a better eye on her."

Maya gave him a soft look and said, "It's ok Sweetie, just tell me what happened."

Jonathan wiped his eyes and managed to squeak out, "Trucy asked me if I wanted to see a magic trick. She said it works when she performs and was quite popular. She took out these panties (I am in the middle of the third trial of Apollo Justice so I know about this) and kept putting stuff in them. Pearl came up and said she would be going to go pick berries in the woods. However, she never came back."

Phoenix looked at Jonathan and said, "Have you called the police?"

"Yes, and they're on their way. The detective I spoke to said he'd get here in a jiffy and kept calling me pal."

Both Phoenix and Maya smiled. They knew who would be coming. The last time they spoke with him, was at the train station when Maya left.

Phoenix patted Jonathan's shoulder, "Don't worry Jonathan, we'll get her back. I promise."

Jonathan looked at Phoenix, smiled weakly, and thanked him. Meanwhile, Maya sat down next to him and put her arm around Jonathan's waist. Phoenix felt his heart ache, but he didn't let on. The last thing he needed was Maya being suspicious of him. All he had to do was wait for the detective to get here.

He didn't have to wait long. Five minutes later, a sloppy jalopy came screeching up. Hurriedly, Gumshoe got out and charged over to where Phoenix, Maya, and everyone else were sitting.

"Hey pals, got here as fast as I could. So tell me what happened to Pearl?"

Jonathan was retelling his story when Phoenix felt an urging to go to the woods. Looking back at the group, he trudged on into the woods. Soon after, he stepped into a berry patch. Looking around, he realized he never saw these type berries before. While examining the berries, he tripped over something. Looking back, he saw a basket that was filled with berries on its side. Gasping, Phoenix took the basket and looked around. This was where Pearl was kidnapped, all he had to do was investigate and maybe he could tell what happened to her. With the basket in hand, he looked around, nothing out of the usual. He continued walking through the berry patch when he saw one of Pearl's sandals. Looking around, he saw a path where there were plenty of broken twigs and obvious footprints.

Not realizing the danger he could be in, Phoenix followed the trail, eventually leading him to a waterfall. However, the trail of footprints ended. Looking around the waterfall, Phoenix called Pearl's name, but got no reply. It was clear to him that he was completely alone in the woods. Knowing that he couldn't do anything else at the moment, Phoenix returned to the berry patch and eventually to the group.

Phoenix was surprised of how much things changed since he left. Policemen were swarming over the village, asking people questions. Gumshoe was taking notes while Jonathan was talking to him. Heading over, Phoenix went up to May and set the basket down before her.

"Wh…where did you get this Nick?!"

"I found it in a berry patch just north, in the woods over there. I also found Pearl's sandals and found trail with some footprints, but it ended at a waterfall."

Gumshoe excitedly looked at Phoenix, and asked, "Is that true Pal?"

Phoenix just looked at Gumshoe, knowing that the question was rhetorical…or was it?

"Yes it's true Gumshoe. It's just over there."

"Thanks pal! We'll catch up later. Right now, we gotta go find Pearl!"

In the woods far away from the berry patch, a voice could be heard. "But Mother, I don't want to do this." After a pause, the voice resumed, "I know my sister is doing her part, but doing what you guys are doing is wrong!" Soon after saying this, the voice cried, "NO! Don't do that!" After a few seconds, the voice continued, "Fine, I'll do it. Just don't hurt her…please."

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or any of its characters, except for the one's I created.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I am planning on this chapter to be the longest one I made, so enjoy.

Phoenix was sitting next to Maya and Jonathan while Gumshoe and other officers searched the berry patch for any sign of Pearl. Jonathan was shaking his head and blaming himself for what has happened. Maya was trying to comfort Jonathan the best she could, but she was not succeeding. Phoenix was looking down at the ground, thinking how terrified Pearl must feel right now, whether she was lost or kidnapped. Everyone jumped, not expecting the steel samurai theme all of a sudden ringing out.

"Sorry everyone, my phone."

Getting up, Phoenix quickly moved to an area where he wouldn't be overheard and answered his phone.

"Hello, this is Wright."

"Phoenix! It's me, Felina. We met at the train station."

"Oh, hi Felina. Sorry, but this is a bad time. My friend Maya's cousin is missing and we need to find her."

"Oh…well…call me back when you found her."

With that, Phoenix ended the call and put his cell phone in his pocket. On his way back, he heard his cellphone beep. Taking in back out of his pocket, he saw that it was a text. "Beware, the same people who kidnapped Pearl are also after you and Maya." Shock spread through Phoenix's body. First, Pearl was indeed kidnapped. Secondly, the same people who took Pearl are also going after them. He hadn't dealt with something like this since Hazakura Temple. Looking at Maya, Phoenix decided not to show the text to her because it would upset her. However, he felt like he should at least tell Gumshoe. He was a detective after all and also has helped Maya in the past as well.

Gumshoe was looking at a dirt trail that led to a waterfall. Sighing, Gumshoe inspected the footprints, looking for any signs of who made the footprint. He was about to make a mold of the print when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Detective Gumshoe…I've got something to show you."

Gumshoe spun around and saw Phoenix Wright behind him, his phone in hand.

"What is it Pal?"

"This." With a swift motion, Phoenix gave his phone to Gumshoe, with the text on the screen. After reading it, Gumshoe cried, "WHAAAAAAAAAT!?"

"I'm afraid there is a conspiracy against Maya and I…one to kill us off, and Pearl got caught up in the middle of it."

"Hmmm…this seems like that case all over again…at the Hazakura Temple…" Gumshoe trailed off.

"All except Pearl wasn't kidnapped. Something's happening, and I feel like this is just the beginning."

"I'll give you one word of advice pal…trust no one, except Maya and I, of course."

"Why's that?"

"The kidnapper could be anyone. The people trying to kill you two could be anyone. There is no safe person except for Maya and I. I've got your back pal."

"Thanks Gumshoe. Just do me one favor…keep an eye on Jonathan. I have a feeling that he is somehow a part of all this. I don't know how….but I just have a bad feeling about him."

"Ok…Pal…I'll keep a close watch over him. Nothing he'll do will escape my eye pal…no wait…eyes."

_Same old Gumshoe_ Phoenix thought.

"Well, I gotta get back to investigating pal. Pearl won't be found by just sitting here sipping tea."

"Ok detective, I'll let you do your work."

With that, Phoenix gave Gumshoe a nod and walked away, leaving Gumshoe to his work.

"Oh Maya…I've really screwed this up. I should have told Pearl not to go to the forest alone. I should have—"

"That's enough Jonathan! Stop beating yourself up over it. No one could've known she would be in trouble."

Jonathan gave Maya a look and dropped his head. Looking back up at her, he leaned in and tenderly kissed her.

"Thanks Maya…you know how to calm me down."

Giggling, Maya smirked, "Well, maaaybe I've been in your shoes before."

Raising his eybrows, Jonathan asked, "Do I really want to know what happened?"

"No, not really…"

Jonathan saw the spark in Maya's eyes. She was always so cheery, no matter what happens to her. Hearing rustling behind him, Jonathan turned to see Phoenix walk up to them.

Maya looked at him and asked, "Where have you been? You went off to take a phone call then it seemed like you vanished. I was about to go get Gumshoe and send a search party to find you."

Phoenix smirked, "I became…sidetracked."

"With what?"

"Nothing really, just lawyer stuff."

"Wait…I thought you weren't a lawyer anymore after that trial…"

"Well, that's the point. I've been acquitted of those charges thanks to Apollo's help. I retook the bar exam and passed. I was actually looking for an assistant when Trucy told me about the magic show here, so my plans of being a lawyer again were put on hold."

"Nick…that's AWESOME! I'm so happy for you, but why didn't you call me to be your assistant?"

"Well…I thought about it, but since you were the Master and all…I decided against it."

"Hmph…"

There was an awkward silence when the growling of one's stomach could be heard.

"Oops…sorry everyone" Maya sheepishly said. "I'm just hungry I suppose."

"Hungry!? You just had six cheeseburger deluxes! How could you be hungry?"

"That was my burger stomach Nick. My steak stomach is hungry, so I'm gonna go grill us some steak."

With that Maya shot up and ran toward the Fey Manor, leaving Phoenix and Jonathan together.

Phoenix tried to start some chatter with him. "So, how was Trucy when I was gone?"

Jonathan just stared at Phoenix and snorted. "You mean that devil? She was horrible! She kept asking me to see her magic panties trick, but I kept refusing."

"Devil? How DARE you describe Trucy like that?!"

Jonathan gave Phoenix an evil stare, got up, and left in the opposite direction of the Fey Manor.

Phoenix just stood where he was…breathing heavily. How could he say such horrible things about Trucy? Phoenix heard footsteps behind him and looked, to see Trucy, with tears in her eyes.

"Da—Daddy, I'm not a devil…am I?"

"Trucy…don't believe a SINGLE word that guy says! You're NOT a devil and there is nothing wrong with asking him to watch one of your magic tricks!"

Trucy looked at Phoenix then quickly walked off, leaving Phoenix with his thoughts. Sitting down on the same rock Jonathan and Maya were sitting on before, Phoenix contemplated the text he received. Who was the person who sent this? He recognized the number but not any number he knew recently. Checking back to this calls and texts, Phoenix couldn't find the same number, but he had a feeling he saw it before. Suddenly a shriek shattered Phoenix's train of thought.

"DADDY! HE—"

Recognizing the voice, Phoenix shot up from the rock and headed toward the direction he heard her voice from.

"Trucy! Trucy where are you?"

Running as fast as he could, Phoenix came upon Trucy's silk hat. Picking it up, a piece of paper fell from the hat. Picking up the paper, Phoenix read, "There is no escape Mr. Wright. Our plan is perfect." Realizing what just happened, Phoenix cried out and wept.

Gumshoe was just heading over to his car with all the evidence he could find. As he was closing the car door, he heard a voice scream. Running over to the direction of the sound, Gumshoe found Phoenix, kneeling on the ground, crying.

"Pal, what's wrong?"

"Detective…Detective Gumshoe…they took her."

"Who's her?"

"Trucy…my adopted daughter."

"WHAAAAAAT!?"

"They even left a note behind, saying there was no escape for me because their plan is perfect."

"Hmmm…Pal, do you know of anyone who didn't like Trucy?"

"Well….Jonathan just told me that he thought Trucy was a devil."

"What!? Was he in this area when it happened?"

Phoenix rubbed his eyes, and said, "He did walk in this direction, but I don't think he did it."

"Well, pal…it's too late."

"What do you mean?"

"Jonathan is the only person who doesn't like Trucy, he was in the area during the kidnapping, and also had the perfect opportunity to kidnap Pearl. That's enough suspicion to book him."

"Wait…you don't mean…"

Before Phoenix could finish his sentence, Gumshoe ran off. Sighing and brushing a tear from his eye, Phoenix stuffed the note into his pocket and carried Trucy's silk hat. As he was leaving the clearing where he was, he heard Jonathan's voice.

"Wait, I didn't kidnap anyone! You got it all wrong!"

"Shut it pal! You had an opportunity to kidnap Pearl and also Trucy. You despised Trucy as Mr. Wright told me, so that only leaves you as a suspect."

"Wait, I—"

"Jonathan Crinkle, you're under arrest for the kidnapping of Pearl Fey and Trucy Wright. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and WILL be used against you in the court of law…"

As Phoenix was listening to Gumshoe give Jonathan his Miranda rights, he heard running. Before he could turn around, he heard a shrieking voice.

"Wait! What are you doing to my Jonathan?"

Maya ran past Phoenix and up to Gumshoe. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Sorry, Maya, but he is the only person who had the opportunity to kidnap both Pearl and Trucy."

"Wait…Trucy!?"

Maya spun around and looked at Phoenix, who sadly nodded.

"She was just kidnapped, around five minutes ago."

"But that doesn't mean that Jon—"

Gumshoe didn't listen to Maya as he hauled Jonathan off to his car. Phoenix just stood shocked by the scene which had just unfolded.

As Gumshoe drove off, Maya turned to Phoenix, with tears in her eyes.

"Nick…"

With that, she burst out into sobs and hugged Phoenix, crying on his hoodie.

After a few minutes, Maya looked up at Phoenix and asked, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to defend Jonathan! He'll be your first client after being an attorney again, that's what I mean!"

I never expected the story to turn out this way. I told myself from the beginning that I wouldn't do a court trial, but look what happened. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review.


	9. Chapter 9

As always, thanks to everyone who is reading this story. It has changed from being just a sappy romance story to now there is plenty of suspense and a court case. I personally like the changes that are occurring and hope that you are too. I have also not forgotten about why the story is called Objection so don't worry, they'll be plenty of romance in this story, usually mixed in. Word of warning: I told myself I wouldn't do a court case cuz I would have a hard time figuring out the evidence, testimonies and what not. So forgive me when the court case does happen and it's horrible.

Phoenix was waiting at the detention center for visiting hours to begin. Jonathan was arrested yesterday for suspicion for kidnapping Pearl and Trucy. Phoenix knew that Jonathan had nothing to do with it and realized that until he figured out who did, more things could happen, eventually causing his death. Maya was sitting next to him, her head lowered. Last night had to be a hard night for her, not having Jonathan at her side. He could tell she had not gotten a lot of sleep and kept yawning loudly. After it seemed like an eternity, the detention guard came through the door and announced, "Visiting hours have started. Please go to your designated spot in order to see the person with whom you want to visit." With that, the guard went back through the door.

"Well, Maya, we better get up to go see Jonathan."

Maya just looked up at him sadly and followed suit. Phoenix knew she was hurting badly. He remembered during the Hazakura trial that Maya stayed strong, not showing any emotion, just to help Pearls. Now, it was his turn. She needed a rock to stand on and he would provide the rock.

As they walked into the visiting room, Phoenix and Maya noticed that Jonathan was already there, waiting for them. Jonathan looked up at them, also tired.

"So, Maya…I never guessed you'd see me in this state."

"No…I…I just wish that…none of this would have happened. Everyone who get close to me ends up in trouble, all because I am the master."

"Maya, don't blame yourself for this. Although I didn't kidnap them, it'll take a couple days for the court to figure that out. Of course, I already have a top-notched attorney helping me so everything will be alright."

Maya smiled. "Well, at least you think of Nick as a good attorney."

Jonathan looked at Maya, with puzzlement in his eyes. "Phoenix? I'm afraid you're mistaken. He's not a good attorney, he'd never help me. After all, he'd just forge evidence to get me off the hook."

Phoenix couldn't just stand there as Jonathan kept laying insults upon him, especially with the forgery. "Jonathan, let me make myself clear. The ONLY reason I'm helping you is because of Pearls, Trucy, and Maya. If it were a case where it had nothing to do with me or anyone I know, I would NOT be your attorney, nor would anyone else with the way you're acting. If you want to get out of here, you have to work together with me and cooperate so I can defend you. The more you resist, the longer it takes. I know you didn't do it, but the real criminal is still out there and the more you detest me, the harder it will for me to get an acquittal. Think of Pearls and Trucy and the terror they must be experiencing right now. Do you honestly want the person who made them experience this walk free?"

Jonathan looked at Phoenix, with hate in his eyes. However, the fire died down and he calmly said. "You're right. I'll tell you everything that happened that day. We have to catch that…freak."

"Good, can you tell me where you were when Trucy was kidnapped?" As Phoenix was asking this, he saw Maya look at him. He thought she would be mad at him with the way he spoke to Jonathan, but instead, he saw her smiling, the light in her eyes that he saw before the kidnappings had returned.

"I was walking toward the statue of Mystic Ami. I talked with my mother for a little bit there when that detective came up to me and arrested me."

"Were you anywhere near the area where Pearls was kidnapped?"

"No, I was with Trucy at the Fey Manor, at the opposite side of the village."

"Damn, no one can confirm that alibi with Trucy gone."

"Yeah…she was trying to show me her magic panties trick...I probably should have watched."

"Yeah. You know she thought highly of you before yesterday."

Jonathan just looked down, avoiding Phoenix's fierce gaze.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix."

"It's ok. Can you tell anything else about the kidnappings?"

"Sadly, no. As I said, I'm innocent so I don't know anything about the kidnappings."

"Ok then. Jonathan, I will get to the bottom of this and get you an acquittal."

"Thank you…Mr. Wright."

With that, Jonathan stood up, looked at Maya one last time, then went with the guard back to his cell.

"Well, Maya, let's get going. I need to investigate the scenes one more time before tomorrow."

"You mean 'we'."

"Huh?"

"You said that, 'I need to investigate' when you should have said, 'We need to investigate.'"

"Maya, you don't have to help, especially since—"

"I want to help Nick. I can't just stand by as Jonathan suffers. You said you needed an assistant before, so here I am. Maya Fey reporting for duty…again."

Phoenix chuckled. "Okay Maya, we need to investigate the scene once more."

Maya smiled and nodded her head. As the left the room, Phoenix kept thinking back to the note that the kidnapper left behind. Just what was their plan? It is obvious that someone is out to get them, but why kidnap Pearl and Trucy?

As the train rolled to a stop, Phoenix and Maya both got onto the train and took a seat. Phoenix sighed as he got into a comfortable position. He couldn't help but notice that Maya brightened up after Phoenix's outburst against Jonathan. Why would that be?

Shrugging it off, Phoenix closed his eyes, trying to get some much needed sleep when he heard his phone beep. Taking out his phone, he saw he had another text message from the same person who warned him. Opening the text, he read, "Keep a close eye on Maya. She is their next target."

"Who sent you a text Nick?"

"Oh…no one, just a sales pitch."

"Really? What are they trying to sell?"

"Uh…um…hoodies."

"Hoodies?"

"Yup."

"Let me see."

"Ah…no."

"Why not?"

"Because…uh…you don't like hoodies?"

"Nick, you're a terrible liar. Just tell me what it says!"

"….fine, this one guy actually sent me two texts. One yesterday and one just now."

Phoenix handed his phone to Maya and she read the texts. Phoenix watched as the color drained from Maya's face. "Why…why didn't you show me this sooner Nick?"

"Because I didn't want to get you worried."

Maya looked at Phoenix and started crying. "I knew it. They were kidnapped because of me!."

"Maya, you—"

"Nick, you know it's true so don't deny it."

Phoenix looked on, sadly, as Maya cried her eyes out. Finally, when there were only an occasional sob, Phoenix said, "Maya, listen to me. We're gonna get them back, I promise you that. However, I need an assistant who is ready for the job. Can you give me your full effort to help me solve this case?"

Maya looked at Phoenix, with her red eyes, and said, "I'm gonna help Nick. I'm gonna take that bastard down!"

Phoenix was taken aback. This was the first time he actually heard Maya curse. Smiling, Phoenix told Maya, "Good, I need a person with such enthusiasm."

Maya smiled at Phoenix. The rest of the train ride was spent either trying to get some sleep or telling the people behind them to be quiet.

As the train stopped at the station near Kurain Village, Phoenix and Maya were the first to get off the train and quickly ran to the village, only to find out that the police would not let them investigate the scene.

"What? I've investigated crime scenes in the past! Why not now?"

"Sorry sir, but Prosecutor Lortimor gave us strict orders not to let anyone else investigate."

"Lortimor?"

"Yes, he'll be the prosecuting attorney at tomorrow's trial. Now if you excuse me, we have some kidnappers to catch."

As the officer walked away, Phoenix turned to Maya. "Well…it looks like we'll have to wait till tomorrow to get any work done."

Maya looked at Phoenix sadly and nodded.

The day went by slowly as Phoenix tried to busy himself with other matters. Finally, when he was about to go to bed, he saw Maya appear in front of his bedroom door.

"Nick, can you sleep in my room tonight? I'm afraid that the kidnappers will go after me tonight. If I'm alone, they'll have an easy time kidnapping me."

Phoenix was stunned. "Well…do you have a cot or something for me to sleep on?"

"No, but my bed is a king sized one so they'll be plenty of room."

Phoenix looked at Maya, who looked back at him, her eyes filled with fear.

"Okay Maya, just give me a few minutes to get my stuff."

"Thanks Nick."

So, that night, Phoenix finally managed to sleep on a mattress again, and got the best sleep of his life.

Thanks again for reading. The first part of the court trial will be in the next part. Hopefully it won't turn out to be a bust. Please don't forget to review.


	10. Chapter 10

The story has hit the 1,000 view mark! I never expected it to be so successful, maybe a couple hundred views. Thanks for reading and enjoy the court case.

Phoenix nervously paced in the defendant lobby. This was his first court case after the forgery and was quite nervous, especially because of whom he was defending. The only evidence he had was the note and Pearl's basket, filled with boysenberries. Maya sat calmly at the bench and watched Phoenix as he rhythmically walked across the lobby. It was quite apparent to her that he was nervous not only about the case, but he was also worried about Trucy and Pearl. Jonathan was standing in the corner, looking down at his feet. Although the penalty for kidnapping isn't the death penalty, it still is a hard thing to live with if convicted. Finally, the baliff came out of the courtroom and told Phoenix, "The trial is about to begin. Please head to the defense's desk." Phoenix nodded, looked at Jonathan as the baliff escorted him into the room, and followed suit, with Maya right behind him.

After the usual chatter, the judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Jonathan Crinkle."

"The defense is ready your honor."

(with a highly nasally voice) "The prosecution is ready your honor."

"Good. Now with what I understand from this case, Jonathan kidnapped two teenage girls. Do you have any idea where they are now?"

"Sadly, no your honor. The defendant won't say where they are. He keeps claiming that he didn't do it, but I assure you, he did, and I'll prove it with evidence."

"What evidence?"

"The first victim's sandal. It has traces of Jonathan all over it with his hair and fingerprints."

"Well…couldn't the defendant have touched the sandal before?"

"No, your honor. You see, this sandal was just bought three days ago. This was the first time she wore it so the fact that his fingerprints are there tell me he is guilty. Also, the detective firmly believes that the defendant committed this crime."

"So you're calling this detective as a witness?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Understood, the prosecution may call its first witness."

"The prosecution called detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand."

Detective Gumshoe opened the door to the courtroom and right up to the witness stand, wearing his usual trench coat.

"What is your name and occupation detective?"

"Dick Gumshoe, I'm a detective down at the local precinct."

The judge looked at Gumshoe sternly and told him, "Now, detective, can you describe to us the details of the case?"

"Certainly Sir."

"Well, pal, while Pearl was picking berries, she was kidnapped, leaving her basket and sandal behind. We followed a set of footprints to a waterfall, but they end there. Now after Pearl was kidnapped, Trucy was alone at a clearing, her feelings hurt after what the defendant told her. This provides motive and opportunity, all pointing to Jonathan Crinkle."

"Hmm…if it is as you state, the defendant is guilty. Very well, Mr. Wright, you may begin your cross- examination."

_Whew, my first cross-examination since my last trial seven years ago. I hope I can do well._

"You can do it Nick!"

"Well, pal, while Pearl was picking berries—"

"Hold it! What kind of berries detective?"

"Oh, they were blueberries. We could tell because I tasted one."

"You tasted one?"

"Well, yeah. My salary is still kinda low and I get tired of instant noodles every once in a while."

Phoenix gave Gumshoe a strange look and shouted, "If they weren't blueberries, they could have killed you!"

"I know pal, but I get hungry and they looked so good…"

Hearing the banging of the gavel, Phoenix looked at the judge. "Mr. Wright, are the types of berries at the scene of any importance?"

"Your honor, this is a critical part of testimony. I adamantly request that it be officially added."

The judge looked surprised before finally saying, "Very well, the witness will add this to his testimony."

"No problem, Sir."

"The berries Pearl was picking was blueberries."

"OBJECTION!"

"Detective Gumshoe, may I point out something to you?"

"Uh…sure pal."

"You said that the berries Pearls was picking was blueberries. Am I correct?"

"Yes you are pal."

Phoenix shook his head. "I'm afraid you made a rookie mistake detective."

"What's that Pal!? I haven't made a mistake in seven years!"

_Right after I was disbarred, interesting._

Slamming his hands on the desk, Phoenix firmly stated, "Well, you just made one. The type of berries Pearls was picking was boysenberries, not blueberries!"

"Wha…WHAAAAT!?"

The courtroom exploded into commotion until the banging of the gavel silenced the crowd.

"Order! Order! Mr. Wright, is this true?"

"Yes, your honor. I have Pearl's basket with me right now, still full of boysenberries."

"Yes, but…Mr. Wright, what does this mean, exactly?"

Prosecutor Lortimor smirked, "Obviously, it means nothing your honor."

"OBJECTION! Your honor, there can only be one explanation as to why the berries are different."

"Well, this is interesting. Very well, Mr. Wright, please tell the court what is the meaning of the different berries."

_It's ok, I got this one. _

"The only reason is that the place where Pearls was kidnapped…is not the place where the basket was discovered."

Lortimor had a shocked look on his face. "Are you saying, Mr. Wright, that the place where Pearl was kidnapped, is not the place we originally thought?"

Phoenix shook his head. "That is correct."

"Well, Mr. Wright, those are some bold words. Now tell us where exactly Pearl was kidnapped."

"Uh…well…I—I don't know just yet."

"As I thought."

The judge, after being silent, finally spoke. "Mr. Wright, as long as you don't know where the kidnapping was, I will have to discredit your claims. Now, detective Gumshoe, please continue with your testimo—"

"Hold it!" The judge, confused, looked at Phoenix. "What was that for Mr. Wright?"

"Just hold one for one minute, your honor."

"Maya, are there any boysenberry bushes in Kurain Village?"

"Umm…there is one spot…at the base of Blue Mountain, but it's forbidden to go there because of a murder long ago."

"That has to be it." Looking back at the judge, Phoenix slammed on his desk again. "Your honor, I know where the kidnapping actually happened."

"Well, this is an interesting development. Please tell us Mr. Wright, where exactly Pearl was kidnapped."

"At the base of Blue Mountain!"

"W…where is that?"

Maya popped in. "Blue Mountain is to the south of Kurain Village. It is prohibited to go there though because of a murder that happened about thirty years ago."

"Hmm…I see…"

"Hee, hee, hee. Well done Mr. Wright, but, of course, I already knew that."

"What do you mean Lortimor?"

"I knew exactly where the kidnapping took place…thanks to a certain witness."

The judge, completely shocked, looked at Lortimor, "You mean you knew where exactly the kidnapping took place?"

"Yes, your honor. His name is Christian Lumarta. He was taking a stroll in the area at the time of the kidnapping."

"Ah….I see. Well, since this is a good time to take a break, I will declare a five minute recess. Prosecutor, please prepare your witness during this time."

"Yes, your honor."

"Very well, this trial is now in recess."

With that, the judge slammed his gavel.

Thank you again for reading. The second part of the trial will be in the next chapter. Don't forget to review.


	11. Chapter 11

I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. It wasn't easy thinking of a court case so if it's lame…I'm sorry. Anyways, here is part 2 of the court case.

Phoenix walked out of the courtroom and into the defendant lobby after the recess was called. Jonathan was then led out by the guard.

"Jonathan, were you anywhere near Blue Mountain during Pearl's kidnapping?"

"No, I was at the Fey Manor. I don't know how anyone could have seen me there."

"Hmmm…do you have any siblings that look like you?"

"…one, but he's…not around anymore."

"Was he killed or something?"

"No, he just disappeared one day, without any warning."

"Hmmm…I fear he may be back then."

Before Jonathan could respond, the guard came back out and told Phoenix that the recess was almost over. Sighing, Phoenix walked back into the courtroom, hoping Pearl and Trucy were okay.

(In an unknown location) "Uhh…my head…where…where am I?" Looking around, Trucy could only see walls of rock around her, but a bright light shone at the end of the tunnel. (pun not intended) Moving her arms, she noticed that they were tied to a nook in the wall, but her legs were free. Pulling hard against the rope, she noticed that it was pretty loose, like someone carelessly tied her up. Shaking her arm in rhythmically, while pulling, Trucy was able to barely get out of the knot of the rope. Running to the entrance of the cave, Trucy dashed outside, to see she was on top of a mountain, with Kurain Village barely in sight to the east. Knowing help was near, Trucy sprinted as fast as she could.

The usual chatting of the court was quelled when the judge slammed down his gavel. "Court is now back in session. Prosecutor Lortimor, have you prepared your witness?"

"Yes your honor. The prosecution calls Christian Lumarta to the stand."

Phoenix noticed a brown-haired, freckled teenager walk into the courtroom.

The judge looked at Christian and said, "Mr. Lumarta, I understand that you saw the kidnapping of Pearl Fey at the base of Blue Mountain, am I correct?"

"Yes, your honor. It is correct."

"Very well, you will testify to the court about what you saw."

"I was walking down the path near Blue Mountain. I heard a murder took place long ago and I wasn't scared at all. Hearing a scream, I looked to the right and saw the defendant put a cloth on the face of a blonde haired girl. Before I could make a move, the defendant picked her up and carried her off."

"Hmm…I see. Very well, you may cross-examine the witness Mr. Wright."

"I was walking down the path near Blue Mountain—"

"Hold it! Why did you go down there to begin with?"

"I'm a photographer and I heard there were some great views there. I just had to take some pictures."

"Even though the area was prohibited to enter?"

"Yep, you got a problem with that?"

"…no. Please continue."

I heard a murder took place long ago and I wasn't sacared at all, hearing a scream, I looked to the right and saw the defendant—""

"Hold it! Are you sure you saw the defendant?"

"Yes I am, looked exactly like him. He's even wearing the same clothes today as he was then."

"Hmmm…Mr. Wright, was this important?"

"…no your honor."

"Very well, please continue witness."

"I saw the defendant put a cloth on the face of a blonde haired girl—"

"OBJECTION! Mr. Lumarta, are you sure you saw the kidnapping?"

"Wha…what kind of question is that? Of course I saw it."

Shaking his head, Phoenix glared at the witness. "Yet, you made a very critical mistake."

"What's that?"

"The hair color, naturally."

"Hair color?"

"That's right, Pearl, the victim, is brown-haired, not a blonde!"

"N—NOOOO!"

The court erupted as people were saying that the witness was a fake.

Slamming his gavel, the judge looked at Christian. "Mr. Lumarta, how could you have mistaken the victim's hair color?"

"Uh…I…I'm sorry. You see, I sometimes make mistakes while speaking. I say one thing but mean the other. Please, let me testify once more."

"…very well. Mr. Lumarta, please revise your testimony."

"I did see the kidnapping! The defendant put a cloth on the face of the brown-haired girl. The girl fought back, scratching and clawing. However, the defendant overpowered her and flung her on his shoulders, knocking her shoes to the ground."

"Hmmm…your testimony has relatively remained unchanged. Mr. Wright, continue with your cross-examination."

"I did see the kidnapping! The defendant put a cloth on the face of the brown-haired girl. The girl fought back, scratching and clawing—"

"OBJECTION! Your honor, Pearl didn't fight back, if the kidnapper was my client."

"What do you mean Mr. Wright?"

"If Pearl 'fought back, scratching and clawing' we would see scratch marks all over my client. However, there aren't any! How do you explain that Mr. Lumarta?"

"Easy, she didn't scratch him that hard. The cloth obviously had a drug on it that caused her to fall asleep, therefore she didn't have the strength to scratch him hard enough to leave a mark."

"But…uh…I can't think of anything."

"Mr. Lumarta, please continue."

"However, the defendant overpowered her and flung her on his shoulders, knocking her shoes to the—"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix took out Pearl's sandal and placed it on his desk. "Mr. Lumarta, there is another error in your testimony."

"What's that? Another weak outburst from a weak lawyer?"

"Mr. Lumarta, you testified that Pearl's 'shoes' were knocked to the ground."

"Yeah, so?"

"These SANDALS in front of me belong to the victim. They were found near a blueberry patch. Pearl always wears these, therefore Pearl couldn't have been wearing shoes when she was kidnapped! She was wearing sandals!"

"What?! How is that possible?"

"Mr. Lumarta, you've been lying to the court!"

"OBJECTION!" Prosecutor Lortimor looked at Phoenix. "The witness might have said shoes in general. He didn't bother to say sandals!"

"OBJECTION! In a court of law, the witness has to be very specific, including the things on the victim's feet!"

"OBJECTION! The witness didn't know about all the rules, so he didn't know he was breaking any!"

"OBJECTION! It was your job to tell him all the rules! That is what you were supposed to do when preparing him!"

"Urk…" Lortimor started sweating profusely and looked down.

"Good job Nick! Looks like Lortimor isn't doing so well!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Prosecutor Lortimor! You have neglected your duties while preparing this witness! I will be forced to penalize you!"

"Um…your honor?"

"What is it Mr. Lumarta?"

"I remember something I completely forgot about before. You see, after the defendant knocked the victim unconscious…I followed him."

"You…followed him?"

"Yes…for a ways until I lost track of him."

"Very well, you may testify once more."

"After the defendant picked up the victim, I followed him for a while, until I got to a waterfall. I couldn't find him and the only other thing I saw was a cave, but he couldn't have gotten there, so I went back."

"Hmmm…why couldn't the defendant have gotten to that cave though?"

"The waterfall itself blocked him. The rock wall was too high for him to climb it, so I figured he couldn't have gotten there."

"Hmmm…Mr. Wright, you may begin your cross-examination."

_Cross-examine what? His testimony is pretty solid._

"You can do it Nick! I believe in you!"

"After the defendant picked up the victim, I followed him for a while—"

"Hold it! How far did you follow him?"

"I was just about to get to that point, Mr. Lawyer, so be patient."

"I followed him for a while, until I got to a waterfall."

"Hold it! About how many minutes did you follow him until you got to the waterfall?"

"Hmmm…about five minutes."

"Nick, that's impossible. It's about a twenty minute hike to get from Blue Mountain to the waterfall."

"OBJECTION! Your honor, the witness is lying."

"How so Mr. Wright?"

"My assistant, who lives in Kurain Village, says it takes twenty minutes to get to the waterfall from Blue Mountain. However, the witness said it took five minutes! Clearly, a contradiction!"

"Indeed Mr. Wright. Mr. Lumarta, why did you lie in your testimony!?"

"Uh…urk…I…promised that I wouldn't tell."

Phoenix quizzically looked at Christian. "Who made you promise that?"

"Uh…this…creepy looking lady…the real kidnapper."

The crowd burst into a frenzy, calling Christian a fraud and a weak person. The judge had to bang on his gavel several times to get the court to settle down. "Mr. Lumarta, why did she make you promise that?"

"She said…she said she has powerful friends in high places. If I told, my life would be put in danger…"

"Wha…WHAAAT?" Phoenix yelled.

The crowd burst into another frenzy. This time, however, the judge could not calm them down, so he postponed the trial to the next day. Meanwhile, Christian Lumarta was placed under protective custody and sent to a fairly comfortable cell in the detention center.

Thanks everyone for reading. As you can tell, there will be another court trial, but not in the next chapter. Please don't forget to review.


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks again (as usual) for reading. To the guest reviewer: thanks for that review. I usually update nightly, but in a few days, college will start full-time so I won't be able to update daily then. Also, thanks for saying the story is good. It wasn't supposed to be this way in the beginning, but it just evolved to the way it is.

Phoenix exited the courtroom with a sigh of relief. He had just bought Jonathan one more day and hoped he wouldn't squander the opportunity. Maya was right behind him, her face beaming.

"Nick! You were great in there, as usual."

"Thanks Maya. If it wasn't for you, then we might still be in there, with an entirely different outcome."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Well, first, I need to talk to Christian and get more information from him. He knows what the real kidnapper looks like so whatever he tells us will help us get her."

"Well, what are we waiting for Nick?"

"Jonathan. I need to ask him where he was when Trucy was kidnapped. I know he was Fey Manor when Pearls was kidnapped, but we don't know if he was at the Mystic Ami's statue when she was kidnapped."

Soon after, the guard escorted Jonathan from the courtroom.

"Mr. Wright…thanks for everything in there."

"You can thank Maya for the last one. If she didn't tell me how far away Blue Mountain was from the waterfall…let's just say we'd have a different outcome."

Jonathan looked at Maya and smiled.

"So, Jonathan, I need to ask you something."

"What do you need to know?"

"Are you sure you were at Mystic Ami's statue when Trucy was murdered?"

Jonathan looked at Phoenix and said, "I am positive. That detective even arrested me there, remember?"

Phoenix fingered his magatama, however, no psyche-locks appeared so Phoenix knew he was telling the truth.

"Ok, we'll swing by the detention center later for a visit. Right now, we have to talk to Christian."

Phoenix and Maya left Jonathan with the guard and flagged down a taxi. After a couple minute drive, they arrived at the detention center, where they saw Christian Lumarta being ushered into the building. Phoenix and May walked into the detention center and asked if they could visit Christian. The guard told them they had to wait for a few minutes to officially transfer Christian to the detention center. While they were waiting, Phoenix couldn't help but admire Maya for a second. She has certainly matured. Of course, she has had seven years to do so, but her bright and cheery attitude remained the same.

After a few minutes, the guard looked up at Phoenix and said, "Okay, he's been officially transferred here. You may visit him."

Standing up, Phoenix and May walked into the visitor's room, where Christian was already waiting.

"Hey, you're that lawyer, I had a feeling you'd come."

"Christian, I need to know everything you saw about the real kidnapper."

"Sure, well…she looked like she was in the late twenties, maybe early thirties. She had green eyes, but I couldn't see the color of her hair, because she wore a hoodie."

"Are you sure you saw her correctly? You aren't lying to me?"

"I'm positive."

"Ok…thanks Christian."

"No problem…just catch her before it's too late."

With that, Phoenix stood up and left the visitor's room. As he stepped into the lobby, he saw Maya, still sitting where he left her to go visit Christian.

"Hey, Maya, what are you doing? You could have gone in with me."

May jerked, surprised by Phoenix's voice. "Oh, uh..sorry, just thinking about the case is all."

"Hmmm…well okay. Should we head back to Kurain Village then to see if we can investigate further?"

"Sure."

After several meaningless things happened, they arrived at the train station, purchased tickets, and sat down to wait for the train. Finally, the train arrived. After sitting down, Phoenix decided to get some sleep. After a couple hours, Phoenix was startled awake. Looking around, he saw that the train was slowing down.

"Ah, finally awake I see."

Phoenix turned to see Maya smiling at him.

"You fell asleep almost immediately. You can snore pretty loudly."

"Hmph, that's only because I was sitting up. If I was laying down, that would be a different story."

"Not really. You snored a lot last night too."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope."

"Ugh. Well at least we're here. So can we stop talking about me snoring?"

"Hmmm…I might bring it up later."

Phoenix sighed as Maya started giggling. As the left the train, Phoenix heard his cell phone ring. Answering it, he said, "Hello, this is Wright."

"PAL! YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!"

"Woah, Gumshoe, calm down."

"I can't, Trucy is back. She escaped!"

"What? Where is she now? Is she ok?"

"She's fine and she's here with me at Maya's house."

"We'll be right there!"

As Phoenix hung up, he started sprinting ahead of Maya. Maya gave chase and finally caught up to him.

"Why…are…we…going…so…fast?"

"Trucy escaped…at your house…"

After a couple minutes, they arrived at Kurain Village. Heading toward the Fey Manor, Phoenix tore up the steps and into the house, seeing Trucy as he walked in.

"TRUCY!"

Phoenix ran to Trucy and wrapped her in a big hug. She was crying as he hugged her.

"Daddy…I thought I'd never see you again."

"It's okay Trucy, it's okay, you're here now."

Sniffing, Trucy looked up at Phoenix. "I heard that you are defending Jonathan for kidnapping us. I can tell you right now that he didn't kidnap me, but someone like him did."

"Someone like him?"

"Yeah, his voice was similar to his and he looked a lot like him…but it wasn't him."

"Hmmm…Trucy, could you say that to the judge tomorrow? Perhaps we could get one charge dropped."

"Ok, I will."

"So, do you know where Pearls is?"

"No, she wasn't with me in the cave."

"Cave? The one near the waterfall?"

"Yep, I had to go around it so that took me a while."

"Hmmm…then where is Pearls?"

At the detention center: Jonathan looked at his visitor, not happy to see him. "What caused you to come here today? I haven't seen you in over twenty years."

"Oh, don't give me that crap. You knew I would come back, in fact, I have a proposition."

"What is it?"

"Killing Maya, of course."

"You want me to do what?!"

"You have to kill her…or do you want the whole world to know your secret?"

"Nnngrh….I'll have to think about it. Come talk to me after the trial tomorrow."

"Fine…have it your way."

With that, the visitor left, leaving Jonathan with his thoughts.

Thanks for reading (again). Don't forget to review. Also, I have a poll set up. Please vote if you want a sequel to this story once I finish it.


	13. Chapter 13

Took me a long while to figure out if this should be the court case one or not, and I decided to wait one more chapter. Thanks for reading.

Phoenix was sitting at the Fey Manor, with Maya and Trucy right in front of him, watching the Steel Samurai. Trucy was still shaken up, but she seemed like she was doing better. Somehow, they had managed to convince him to watch the whole first season of the Steel Samurai, and, as expected, he nearly fell asleep by the fourth episode. However, he knew that if he did, Maya would never stop teasing him about his snoring. Thankfully, after what seemed like an eternity, the final episode ended.

"Wow, Nick! You're actually still up."

"Only to keep you from talking about my snoring."

Maya giggled and Trucy smiled.

"Well…I gotta go grill us some steaks since we were never able to have them two days ago."

Phoenix nodded as Maya walked off. Trucy said she needed to go to the bathroom, so that just left Phoenix and his thoughts. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved Maya, but he wouldn't dare go after another man's girl. It was quite apparent earlier during their visit with Jonathan that he loved Maya too. However, Phoenix could stop all that with just one day. He could get Jonathan declared guilty, therefore leaving no one else but him to go after Maya. Surprisingly to Phoenix, that idea seemed fairly appealing. _ Maybe I should get him declared guilty. I could use the excuse that I'm rusty from not having a case in seven years…_

Phoenix was still meditating on these thoughts when he heard Maya come back into the room.

"Hey, Nick, how do you like your steaks?"

"Medium-rare, and since when did you learn how to grill?"

"Duh, Jonathan taught me. He taught me everything he knows about grilling so that I could create the 'Maya Special' all by myself."

"Maya Special?"

"Yep, basically, it's steak topped with onions and…ranch."

"RANCH?!"

"Yup, I was surprised when I first tried it, but it tasted really good."

"Weird…well, I'll pass on the ranch on my steak."

Maya smiled and walked back out of the room.

"Oh, wait, Trucy likes her steak rare."

"Got it!"

Phoenix decided that he needed to move his legs a little so he walked out of the Fey Manor for a little walk. He passed by the magic show set and noticed that there was a sign near it.  
"Magic show has been postponed for three days"

Phoenix smirked as he walked on. At least he could be here for Maya and Jonathan's wedding. _Why am I thinking that?_ Phoenix passed by the place where Trucy was kidnapped. Usually, there would be cops swarming the place. However, since the city is two hours away, they packed up early and left. _ You know…I should probably check out the scene since no one is here to stop me._ Phoenix went into the clearing and observed everything he could, from the place where Trucy's hat was to the pine tree where Trucy was dragged off to. As he was about to give up, he noticed something in the leaves. Scraping the leaves away, there seemed to be a little medallion of some kind. He knew that wasn't Trucy's so he figured it had to be from the kidnapper. Pocketing the medallion, Phoenix headed back to the Fey Manor, smelling the steak from far out.

As they ate, Phoenix was amazed at how good the steak tasted. He wasn't brave enough to try the ranch, but he did add the onions. He couldn't seem to get enough, neither did Trucy. Of course, she didn't eat since the day before, so he expected her to be hungry. After dinner was over, Phoenix, Trucy, and Maya relaxed before they decided to go to bed. However, as Phoenix and Trucy were about to leave, Maya asked Phoenix if they could stay at the Fey Manor since she was a target. Phoenix quickly agreed. After getting his things from the cabin every other magician stayed at, Phoenix and Trucy trekked their way to the Fey Manor. Trucy decided to sleep with Maya on the bed while Phoenix decided to take the mat on the floor in the living room. Somehow, he knew that he would be teased about his snoring again tomorrow.

"Did you talk to him about our proposition?" "I did, but he didn't seem too fond of the idea." "Don't worry, as long as he's his attorney, there's no way for him to get out of it. Maya will be dead by the end of the week, mark my words."

As usual, thanks again for reading and don't forget to review. I know this is a shorter chapter but it's late at night and I'm tired. Sorry everyone.


	14. Chapter 14

The next part of the court case. Hope I do just as well as I did in the last court case.

Phoenix was standing in the defendant lobby awaiting Jonathan's arrival from the detention center. Phoenix was torn. He knew he should get Jonathan an acquittal, but why did he want to get him convicted? Phoenix was still thinking things through when Jonathan came up to him.

"Hey, Mr. Wright, ready for today's trial?"

"Yeah, I was told by security that Christian will testify one more time about what the killer looked like. The trial would go on from there."

"Hmmm…what if he describes me?"

"He already said yesterday that it was a woman. If you miraculously changed genders…I don't think how that's possible."

"True…so where's Maya?"

"She's with Trucy right now. It took Trucy a while to get up today so they're taking the train after mine."

"Ahh…ok…uh…Mr. Wright?"

"Yes?"

"Um…if you had a secret…how far would you go to keep it?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because…the thought came to me last night."

"Hmm…depends how big the secret is. The worst I would do is blackmail them with one of their secrets…but that's it."

"Oh…okay."

"Mr. Wright, the trial will begin shortly. Please make you way into the courtroom."

(On the train) Maya was reading the newest edition of "Oh Cult!" when she heard Trucy snoring. She looked at her direction and smiled. _ I guess living with Nick causes her to snore._ Maya sighed. Ever since Nick came to Kurain Village with Trucy for the talent show, he has brought up feelings best left forgotten. _ I know you loved him once, but you're engaged to Jonathan. Snap out of it_. Maya changed her position on the seat and sighed again.

(Back in the courtroom) The usual chatter from the crowd made Phoenix feel uneasy. This was the first trial Phoenix actually considered intentionally losing, but he knew he couldn't live with himself if he did. Finally, the judge banged his gavel.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Jonathan Crinkle."

"The prosecution is ready your honor."

"The…defense is…ready, your honor."

"Hmmm…Mr. Wright, you don't sound so sure to me? Are you absolutely sure you are ready for the trial?"

"Yes your honor, I am."

"Very well, Mr. Lortimor, in the last session, Mr. Lumarta gave us a brief descripton of the kidnapper. I would like him to testify once more about the kidnapper."

"Very well, your honor. Mr. Lumarta may take the stand."

Christian Lumarta walked up the witness stand and looked at the judge.

"Mr. Lumarta, you will tell us about what the kidnapper looked like, with precise detail."

"Yes, your honor."

"The kidnapper was about Mr. Lawyer's height, had green eyes, and brown hair. She wore a hood on her head and somehow knew Mr. Lawyer too, saying she felt sorry for him."

"Mr Wright! Do you know who the kidnapper is?"

"No, your honor!" _ Although, his description does tug the memory a little bit._

"You better not Mr. Wright. You may begin your cross-examination."

_Was I just threatened by the judge? _

"The kidnapper was about Mr. Laywer's height—"

"Hold it! How do you know how high she was if you were as far away as you claimed yesterday?"

"You see…she did see me…and came up to me to tell me not to talk. That's how I knew."

"Why didn't you testify about that yesterday!?"

"Duh, she told me not to tell."

Phoenix just looked at Christian and sighed. "Carry on."

The judge looked at Phoenix, "Mr. Wright! That's my line!"

"She had green eyes—"

"Hold it! How did you get a clear look at her eyes if she was covered by a hood?"

"She had to look at me when she threatened me, so that's how I know."

Before Phoenix could say anything, the judge butt in. "Very well, carry on!"

_The judge said that a bit too excitedly..._

"And brown hair—"

"Hold it! Let me guess, some of her hair was separated from her hood, right?"

"No…she sneezed and I could see some hair then."

"That's…an odd way of seeing a person's hair."

The judge again quickly said, "Carry on."

_But what if I wasn't done your honor?_

"She wore a hood on her head and somehow knew Mr. Lawyer too, saying she felt sorry for him—"

"Hold it! When did she say this?"

"As she was carrying Pearl away. She muttered it so it was luck that I even heard it."

The judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright, are you able to come up with a suspect with this testimony?"

_I feel a tug on the memory, and only one person comes to mind…but it can't be her…_

"Your honor, may I ask the witness one question?"

"Certainly Mr. Wright."

"Mr. Lumarta, do you have any idea what occupation the kidnapper had?"

"You mean like a job?"

"Yeah."

"Well…I did see a BIG Insurance badge on her…but I didn't see the name."

_No, it can't be…_

"Mr. Wright, you look pale…is something wrong?"

"Your honor…I…I know who the kidnapper is…"

"Well…who is it?"

"…Felina Stutsman."

"Felina Stutsman…you mean the insurance CEO?!"

"That's exactly who I believe is the kidnapper. I met her the day Pearl was kidnapped at the train station, and what Christian testified matches her description."

"Hmmm…Prosecutor Lortimor, will you be able to call Ms. Stutsman as a witness?"

"Uh…your honor…she is a very hard lady to reach. I doubt I will be able to contact her."

"I can!"

"Mr. Wright?"

"She gave me her cell phone number the day I met her. I'm sure I'll be able to get in touch with her, especially with my number."

"Hmmm…very well, Mr. Wright, please give Prosecutor Lortimor your phone so he can get in contact with her."

"Yes…your honor."

"While the prosecution tries to contact the next witness, let me ask you a question, Mr. Lumarta."

"Yes, your honor?"

"If you were to see a picture of the kidnapper, would you recognize her?"

"I probably would your honor."

"Well…does she look like this?" The judge pulled out a picture of Ms. Stutsman.

Phoenix was shocked. "Your honor! Where did you get a picture of her so suddenly?"

"Uh…ahem…objection denied Mr. Wright…"

"I didn't object!"

"Mr. Lumarta, do you recognize her?"

"…yes your honor. She is beyond a doubt the person who kidnapped Pearl."

"Very well, thank you for answering the question."

Just then, Prosecutor Lortimor hung up the phone. "Your honor, she'll be able to get here in twenty minutes."

"Very good, until then, the court will take a thirty minute recess. Prosecutor Loritmor, when she gets here, be sure to prepare her as a witness…correctly this time."

"Yes your honor."

"This court is now in recess." With that, the judge slammed his gavel.

Thanks again everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am.


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks to everyone for reading. The story has hit the 2,000 view point, so I'm gonna write two chapters tonight. Enjoy.

Phoenix couldn't believe it. How could he? Felina Stutsman was not the kidnapper…or was she? Jonathan watched as Phoenix nervously paced back and forth. _ Why does he look so nervous? _"Mr. Wright, may I ask why you are so nervous?"

"Uh…I'm not nervous."

"Really? Because people who aren't nervous don't sweat like the way you are."

Phoenix, for the first time, noticed that he was soaking wet with sweat. Nervously laughing, Phoenix stated, "You caught me. It's just that we met at the train station when Maya and I went out for burgers, and we seemed to have hit it off…"

"Ah…the whole romance thing is kicking in."

"Wait, we aren't dating or anything. Besides, she's way too busy for that."

"Why's that?"

"She's the CEO of BIG Insurance. You can imagine how much work she must have to handle. It would be a near impossibility for us to date."

"Sound like you're making an excuse to me."

"I'm not, it's just that I—"

Phoenix held back. He was just about to confess to Jonathan that he loved Maya, and that would make an INCREDIBLY awkward situation.

"You what?"

"Nothing…just drop it please."

"Sure, whatever."

There was an awkward silence in the room, making Phoenix wonder if telling Jonathan would have been less awkward. Finally, a familiar voice shattered the silence.

"DADDY!"

Phoenix turned and saw Trucy running toward him. Phoenix opened his arms and hugged her. While they were hugging, he saw Maya walk into the room. She, as usual, looked stunning. As the hug ended, Maya asked Phoenix, "Why are you guys not in the court room? Isn't it too early for a recess?"

"Usually, but they had to call in a…witness they hadn't planned on calling."

"Really? Who?"

"Remember that one lady I was talking to at the train station?"

"How could I forget? You almost made me lose out on my cheeseburger deluxes!." _ Although…now that I think about it…_

Phoenix smirked, "Well…she's being accused of kidnapping Pearls."

"What?! How?"

"Christian was asked to testify again, about who the kidnapper was. What he testified described her exactly, even saying he saw a BIG Insurance badge on her."

"Wow…so what do you think about it?"

"Honestly…I don't know."

Jonathan smirked and butt in. "For someone who doesn't know, he sure looked nervous a little bit ago."

Phoenix looked at Jonathan who merely smiled at him. Maya looked at Phoenix and asked, "Why were you nervous?"

"Look, let's just drop it."

"That's what you just asked me to do, although you were about to tell me something." Phoenix glared at Jonathan.

"Really Nick? What was it?"

"Nothing. I wasn't going to tell Jonathan anything."

"You saying, 'I'm not, it's just that I—' and then stopping sounds like you were going to say something."

"What was it Nick?"

"Why are you guys grilling me over something trivial?"

"Because that's what we do Nick. Now stop changing the subject and answer me."

"Uh…just that…I…was planning on getting an insurance quote from BIG Insurance…"

Jonathan looked at Phoenix, eyebrows raised. "Really? That was a horrible lie. After all, we were talking about you making an excuse of why you weren't—"

"Woah, will you look at the time, recess is about over. Let's get back into the courtroom!"

With that, Phoenix ran off into the courtroom, leaving Maya and Jonathan puzzled.

Sitting at the defense's desk, Phoenix looked over the case files he received after he entered the courtroom. They did research on Felina and found out that she did not have any connection to Kurain Village or Pearl. Sighing, Phoenix set the case file down and rubbed his forehead. _ This is gonna be a tough case_.

"Um…daddy?"

Phoenix turned to his right to see Trucy standing right next to him.

"Yes Trucy?"

"Um…I was wondering…are you going to find a new mommy for me soon?"

Phoenix was shocked. "Um, Trucy, we talked about this before…"

"I know…it's just that I'm tired of waiting."

"Trucy…I am too, but I have a feeling it's gonna take longer than what I expected."

"Why's that?"

"Just…I have a feeling"

"Oh…ok…" With that, Trucy walked back out of the courtroom. Seconds later, Maya walked in.

"I finally got told by the security officer that I was able to come in. It wasn't time then."

Phoenix smirked. "Sorry, my watch must be off…"

Maya looked at him, puzzled. Before, Phoenix used to tell Maya everything, but why is he hiding this from her?

Finally, the judge slammed the gavel. "Court is now back in session. Prosecutor Loritimor, did Ms. Stutsman ready to testify?"

"Yes, your honor. The prosecution calls Felina Stutsman to the stand."

Felina entered the courtroom and went up to the witness stand.

"Name and occupation please."

"Felina Stutsman and I'm the CEO of BIG Insurance."

The judge looked at Felina. "I'm sure you're aware of why you are here today."

"Yes I am, your honor."

"If you are innocent, please testify about why you are."

"I never went to Kurain Village. I was at the train station because I had a client come in from out of town. Why, I've never even seen that brown-haired girl or her heart shaped knots in her hair."

"Hmmm…if it as you say, you are innocent. Very well, please begin your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

_Gulp, hope she doesn't hat me for this…_

"I never went to Kurain Village—"

"Hold it! Not even as a child?"

"When I say never, I mean never Phoenix."

"Woah…ok, no need to get mad."

"Hmph…"

"I was at the train station because I had a client come in from out of town—"

"Hold it! Where did he come from?"

"I have a duty to keep my clients anonymous. That includes their place of residence."

_Damn…she hates me now…_

"Why, I've never even seen that brown-haired girl or her heard shaped knots in her hair—"

"OBJECTION!"

"Are you sure you have never seen her before?"

"I'm positive Mr. Wright!"

_Now I'm at the last name basis only…_

"Well…I don't believe you. What you have described was…revealing."

"How so?"

"Only people who have seen Pearl before would know she had heart-shaped knots on her head. It was never mentioned in court or on tv. So tell me, how did you know about what she looked like?"

"Oh…well…uh…"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Ms. Stutsman! How do you know this?"

"Uh…I don't know your honor…I guess I just heard it somewhere. That's right! My employee told me about Pearl during his one trip to Kurain Village.

"Hmmm…perhaps you can testify about that."

"My employee went to Kurain Village a year ago. When he came back, he kept telling me about their master, Pearl Fey. That's how I knew who she was."

"Well…that simplifies matters. Mr. Wright, your cross examination."

"My employee went to Kurain Village a year ago. When he came back he kept telling me about their master, Pearl Fey—"

"OBJECTION! Ms. Stutsman, it appears your testimony is crumbling like a deck of cards."

"What does that mean?"

"Pearl isn't the master of the Kurain Village…Maya Fey is."

"Wha…WHAAAAT!?"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Ms. Stutsman! The court will not allow you to make a mockery of it."

"I'm sorry, your honor…please just give me one last chance to testify."

"…very well, but this will be your last chance. Do you understand?"

"Yes…your honor."

_This is it…the final stand._

What will she testify about? Well, find out in the next chapter. Don't forget to review.


	16. Chapter 16

The second chapter for tonght. Thanks again for reading.

Phoenix stood at the defense's desk, waiting for Felina to testify. He had crumbled her testimony two times, rather easily too. However, Phoenix knew that she didn't do it. His gut feeling was kicking in. Now, all eyes were on her.

"I lied when I said I didn't go to Kurain village. However, it was during the time when there was a plot for Pearl to become the master and for Maya to be eliminated. However, I admit I was wrong…and I admit I kidnapped Pearl. I had no choice."

"W...WHAAAT?!" Phoenix couldn't believe it. She was admitting it. _Why is she doing this? I know she didn't do it…_

"Well…this is unexpected…is this an official confession Ms. Stutsman?"

"…yes your honor."

"Hmmm…Mr. Wright, your cross-examination."

_I will find a flaw…I know I will…_

"I lied when I said I didn't go to Kurain Village—"

"Hold it! About what time did you go to Kurain Village?"

"A couple times. The first was over seven years ago. I heard about a plot to kill Maya and make Pearl the master…but I didn't know anything about it then."

"Then?"

"Yes…the re-creation of the plan is what I mean."

"Re-creation?"

"Yes, as you all know, Morgan Fey was executed five years ago. However, there is another person who wants Maya dead…"

"And who would that be?"

"…I can't say."

"Please, tell us!"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright, you have strayed from her testimony, please stop pressing her too far."

"…yes your honor."

"However, it was during the time when there was a plot for Pearl to become the master and for Maya to be eliminated—"

"Hold it! Was that the plan at Hazakura Temple?"

"Yes, I heard that you both nearly died and that the plan was almost a success."

"Well…that is true…please continue."

"However, I admit I was wrong…and I admit I kidnapped Pearl. I had no choice—"

"Hold it! Why didn't you have a choice?"

"She…she knows stuff about me I buried. I thought I could run from my past, but she found them and is blackmailing me."

"She?"

"Yes…you're aware that Morgan and Misty Fey were sisters fighting over the right to be the master…however, there was an even older sister. She was banned from the village because she was suspected of being a murderer."

"The murder at Blue Mountain?"

"Yes. She was banned from Kurain Village and now…"

"Now what?"

"Her daughter wants the title that was supposed to be hers back."

"Do you know her name?"

"No, I don't, I just now told you everything I know about this case…"

"Just one more thing, where is Pearl?"

"…I don't know. The witch's daughter took her after I kidnapped her."

"I see…"

The judge slammed his gavel. "I'm sorry Ms. Stutsman, but you will have to be prosecuted for your crime. Even though you were blackmailed, you still committed the act."

"I know, your honor."

"Very well…I would like to announce a verdict on Jonathan Crinkle. This court finds Jonathan Crinkle…NOT GUILTY!"

Everyone started cheering as Jonathan smiled.

"That is all, court is adjourned!"

Phoenix slowly left the defense's table and walked out into the defendant lobby. He couldn't believe it…Felina actually kidnapped Pearl. However, there was a lot revealed during that trial. _That is why that one person is texting me. He's trying to warn me about what she's doing._

"Mr. Wright…"

Phoenix looked up to see Jonathan in front of him. He had made it to the defendant lobby subconsciously.

"Thank you Mr. Wright. You really saved me out there."

"No problem. Besides, I knew you didn't do it."

Maya came from behind Phoenix and charged at Jonathan. When she reached him, she flew her hands out and hugged Jonathan, then moved her head backwards and placed a passionate kiss on his lips. Phoenix's heart stung, but he didn't let on. When they separated, Maya looked back and Phoenix and said, "Thank you Nick!"

"No problem Maya…no problem…"

Just then, Phoenix's phone vibrated. Looking down at it, he read, "Your acquittal of Jonathan was a part of their plan. Keep a close eye on him. He could be dangerous in the future. Do not show Maya this otherwise she'll be in even greater danger."

Phoenix looked up and saw Maya and Jonathan talking, not looking his direction. Phoenix quickly texted back, "Why is Jonathan dangerous?"

After several seconds, he got a reply. "There's more to him than meets the eye. He can be easily blackmailed with his background."

Phoenix wanted to ask what his background was, but chose not to. Just who was this mysterious texter and what was Jonathan hiding? Those would be two questions he'll have to find the answers of, and quickly.

"Hey, Daddy?"

Phoenix looked and saw Trucy right next to him. "What is it Trucy?"

"What are we going to be eating for lunch?"

"Uh…I guess somewhere special to celebrate Jonathan's acquittal, I guess."

"That sounds awesome…how about Red Shrimp?"

"That sounds good, why don't you tell Jonathan and Maya that."

Trucy nodded and went and told Phoenix and Maya. Phoenix looked at Jonathan. _ Whatever he's hiding, I'll figure it out, for Maya's sake…and for mine_.

(Outside the courthouse) "Did he get Jonathan an acquittal?"

"Of course he did, especially since Felina confessed to the kidnapping. Although, I don't like the fact that she revealed so much."

"Don't worry, everything that happens with them is a part of my plan. So far, it has been executed perfectly. Now time to go to phase two."

Thanks again for reading. I start full time college tomorrow so the updates will be slower soon. I'll be able to post a chapter a night for this week, but no guarantees about every other week.


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry for the delayed update. I had some adjustments to do with college so this came at the bottom of the list. However, I have found some time to write a new chapter. Also, the feedback for the story is slowing down quite a bit. I know some of you guys don't review, but if you do, I'll know if I made a mistake or something, like the sappiness from before. So please, review and thanks for reading.

It was a happy train ride back for almost everyone. Jonathan was acquitted of kidnapping, Maya was happy to have Jonathan back, Trucy was practicing her magic. However, not everyone was smiling. Phoenix stared stoically out the window. The most recent texts he received put suspicions on Jonathan. He knew Jonathan wasn't the best branch on the tree, but what secret could he hold that could cause him to kill to keep it a secret? Phoenix quickly glanced at Jonathan, who was reading a newspaper, Maya resting her head on his shoulder. Phoenix then went back to his post of staring out the window, his heart hurting. _I'm scared of what I could find out…for Maya's sake, I'll figure it out._

Christian Lumarta was walking down the sidewalk. He was released from the detention center last night and was walking the streets. _What have I gotten myself into? I know it's for the good of the Feys but…_ His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Taking it out of his pocket, Christian answered it. "What do you want?"

"Just to congratulate you. You played your part splendidly. You can thank me for getting you out of the detention center last night."

"I would rather still be in there. I can't believe you are making me do this to Jonathan. He's a good person."

"You know his secret. That secret can be used to control him, as you saw last night. Did he give you an answer?"

"No, but I think he'll listen to us. Either way, Maya doesn't have that much longer."

"She better not."

"Don't worry, I'll call you when I get an answer from him." With that, Christian ended the call.

"Daddy?"

Phoenix turned to Trucy. "Yes Trucy?"

"Do you know where the bathrooms are?"

"I think they're just beyond the food car of the train."

"Thank you."

With that, Trucy took off. Phoenix hadn't said much the whole trip. Of course, Jonathan did thank Phoenix for defending him. Phoenix smiled and struck a small conversation with Jonathan, but that was it. Of course, Maya caught on that Phoenix wasn't so talkative. _What's going on with Phoenix? He all of a sudden clammed up. I'll talk to him about this later_.

Phoenix was glad when the train pulled up to the station. He was tired, but he still had to start his investigation. Stepping off the train, Phoenix took Trucy and they went ahead of Jonathan and Maya to Kurain Village. When they got to their cabin, Phoenix set his phone down. "What a day!"

"Yeah, you look tired. That reminds me, why were you so silent on the train?"

"…There are some things that are better left unsaid."

With that, Phoenix took off, leaving Trucy behind him. A few minutes later, Maya came in, seeing Trucy put her magic gear away. "Hey Trucy, where's Nick?"

"Daddy left a little bit ago. I don't know where he went and he left his phone here."

"Hmmm…ok." As Trucy went off to another part of the cabin, Maya eyed Phoenix's phone. She knew he was getting texts from someone because she saw some, but she didn't know if he got any more. Looking around and seeing no one, Maya picked up Phoenix's phone and checked his texts. The first one she read sent chills up her spine. "Your acquittal of Jonathan was a part of their plan. Keep a close eye on him. He could be dangerous in the future. Do not show Maya this otherwise she'll be in even greater danger." _What?!_ Maya couldn't bear to read anymore, instead, she bolted out of the cabin into the Fey Manor.

Jonathan was sitting in front of Mystic Ami's statue. He was relieved that he was acquitted, but it seemed too easy to him. Phoenix must have felt it too because he was so quiet on the train. _I wonder though…he seemed happy until…Maya came and kissed me. Does Phoenix like Maya? If so, why did he defend me? _ While he was thinking, a man came up beside him. "Jonathan, we need to talk."

Looking up, Jonathan's eyes went wide. "You!"

Jonathan got up and went with the man…while being trailed by Phoenix.

Jonathan and the man went into the forest. Jonathan angrily spoke. "I can't believe you would show you face here again! After all, you helped Mystic Joanne with the murder at Blue Mountain!"

"I know, brother, but you forgot that you helped me hide the second body…the one who you killed."

Jonathan's nostrils were flaring. "How DARE you bring that up! It was an accident and you know it!"

"Perhaps…but what good does that do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could easily tell the police where the body is right now, and who killed him. Before Phoenix can do anything, you'll be found guilty and executed."

"How do you know about Phoenix?"

"Do you take me as some sort of dummy? I've kept a watch over Kurain Village ever since I left. I know all about Phoenix and your fiancé Maya as well. I suggest that, if you don't want to die, you do EXACTLY as I say!"

"…what do you have in mind?"

"I believe my friend Christian brought this up with you last night. He already told you what to do."

"I CAN'T KILL MAYA! I LOVE HER!"

"Do you? Then why are you lying to her?"

"Ungh…"

"Are you sure you love her, or are you just using her to get more power for yourself. I know you, Jonathan. You are just as crafty as I am. You know that since Phoenix got you an acquittal, you don't have any hopes of escaping our grasp."

"You…you won't get away with this!"

"I'm afraid I've already have." Jonathan's brother reached into his pocket and gave Jonathan a bottle. "All you have to do is put this in her drink and you'll be fine. She'll die painlessly."

"…what is this?"

"Potassium Cyanide. Tasteless and lethal. She won't know what hit her."

"…I…I'll do as you requested."

"Good, just come back here when the job is done."

Jonathan left the clearing in the forest. He couldn't believe what he was going to do. _ How did I get into this mess? _

_How did Jonathan just agree to kill Maya! _Phoenix thought. He couldn't believe it. As they left, Phoenix ran quickly to the Fey Manor. While he was running, Phoenix took out his voice recorder he had in his pocket. _I knew this would come in hand._ As he entered the Fey Manor, Phoenix looked around and shouted, "Maya, are you here?"

After a few seconds, Maya appeared from the kitchen. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she was just crying. "What is it Nick?"

"Maya, we need to get you out of here now!"

"What for Nick? Not keeping any secrets from me, are you?"

With the way Maya looked at Phoenix, he swore she was looking right through him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the text Nick! The text about Jonathan, and I don't believe it!"

"…sadly, you should."

"What?"

"You should listen to this. I was walking around when I spotted Jonathan sitting at Mystic Ami's statue. I was going to talk to him about his past when someone beat me to him. Jonathan looked angrily at him as the left to go to the woods. I followed them and turned on this voice recorder to record their conversation."

Phoenix played the conversation in the woods and Maya's color drained from her face. She collapsed on the ground and started crying loudly. "Maya, I know this may sound rude, but we need to get going now! If Jonathan doesn't kill you, someone else will."

Maya stood back up and tried to choke back sobs. Shaking her head, Maya responded weakly, "I agree, we should go."

"Get your things and then we'll go get Trucy and leave."

As Maya packed up her things, Phoenix kept having flashback to the Hazakura Temple case. He wasn't there to protect her then, but this time, he will.

Maya appeared from her room a few minutes later with bags in her hands. As the left the Fey Manor, Maya took a look back. She was supposed to be safe there…but she was wrong.

After they found Trucy and packed up Phoenix and Trucy's things, they left Kurain Village and bought a ticket for the first train headed back to town.

_I guess this is it._ Maya thought as they boarded the train.

Thanks again for reading. Also as a reminder, I have a poll asking whether or not to create a sequel to this story once it's complete. Please vote.


	18. Chapter 18

I really liked the way the story has turned out…although it's gonna be hard to make the story go with the title. You'll see eventually how it'll work out though.

Phoenix still couldn't believe what had happened. The same client whom he defended just a few hours ago…was now his enemy. However, he was concerned about Maya. Not only was the person who she was engaged to trying to kill her, she had to leave her home and way of life. Phoenix glanced at Maya, who just stared out of the train window as it rolled by. Phoenix wanted to try to explain himself why he didn't tell her about the texts, but he felt that it was not the best time to tell her.

Maya felt alone in the world. Everything she was a part of turned out to be bad for everyone around her. Sure, they stayed with her, like Nick, but whenever she was somewhere, someone would get hurt. Now, it was her turn to feel her luck turn against her. Pearly was also feeling her bad luck. She was kidnapped by some freaky aunt of hers and she had no idea where she was. The love of her life was trying to kill her. _Why didn't I listen to Pearly when I could have. She told me not to date Jonathan, but I didn't listen to her._ Slowly, a single tear made its way down her cheek.

A couple hours later, Phoenix, Maya, and Trucy got off of the train. Waving a cab down, Phoenix directed the driver to his office. When they got there, Phoenix told Maya, "Maya, I'm sorry but you'll have to stay with me for a while, until things at home cool off."

"I know."

"You can have my bed if you want…it'll be a lot more comfortable than the couch."

"Thank you Nick."

Phoenix directed Maya toward his bed and told her to make herself at home. Leaving her to get settled in her room, Phoenix went to the office portion of the building and found Apollo sitting at his desk, writing.

"Hey Apollo."

Apollo jumped up, surprised.

"Oh, Mr. Wright, I didn't see you there. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at Kurain Village?"

Phoenix sighed and told Apollo the story about Jonathan. When Phoenix finished, Apollo asked, "So is Maya staying here?"

"Yep, she'll be taking my room."

"Where will you sleep?"

"On the couch. It won't be the most pleasant nights, but as long as she's safe, I'll live with it."

Apollo shook his head. "Well, if anyone tries to kill Maya while I'm here, I'll….I'll…"

"Maybe your chords of steel will help." Phoenix joked.

"Hey, my objections are starting to become epic. The judge hides every time I say it. Phoenix laughed. "Oh yeah, Mr. Wright, I've got a trial coming up in two days, could I have your help with it? It's getting really complicated and I could use someone to help me."

"Okay, what is the case about?" (Pay attention to this case, I've decided to do a trial with Apollo while Phoenix helps him. Enjoy that case when it comes.)

"Well, the victim, Shelly Miller, was found dead in her apartment, strangled to death. Her fiancée, Douglas Dugan, was suspected of murdering her. However, the more I dig into the case, the more complex it gets. Traces of poison were found in her coffee cup. However, she didn't die from it, which tells me that not just one, but two people were trying to kill her. The first person failed and the second person succeeded.

"The real problem is why they wanted to kill her."

"I've looked into that Mr. Wright, and found out that she was a corporate lawyer, one of the slime ball ones too. She's been rumored to forge evidence to get her client off the hook, but no one has been able to prove it."

"Perhaps two disgruntled plaintiffs who sued the company felt like they were cheated out of their money. Seems like plenty of motive to me."

"I thought so too sir, but the catch is that even though she's been rumored to forge evidence…she's lost every single case she's taken."

"Wow…that takes care of all of the plaintiffs. Did she have any enemies in the corporation she was defending?"

"My guess is the CEO, Marc Burns. After all, she lost every single case she was assigned, I'm guessing he lost a lot of money from that."

"Well, Apollo, keep on looking into it, I'm gonna go make dinner."

"Wait…have you even cooked before?"

"…that's none of your concern." With that, Phoenix walked off, leaving Apollo worried.

"Dinner is ready!" Phoenix put on the final touches of dinner and sat down at the table. Apollo was the first to show up, warry of the food, but hungry. Trucy and Maya came at almost the same time.

"Wow, Daddy, did you make this?"

"Yeah…it's meatloaf."

Apollo took one bite and turned a bit pale. "Uh…this is…this is…good Mr. Wright. Very *urp* tasty."

"…I can tell when you're lying Apollo. Just tell me the truth."

Before Apollo could say anything, he jumped up and ran for the bathroom, to release the contents inside his stomach. Trucy looked at Phoenix and said, "Well…I guess I'm not gonna eat it. Polly got sick from it."

Maya didn't even look at the food, she just got up and left the table. _Ouch…it's so bad that not even Maya will eat it… _After Apollo got back from the bathroom, he said, "Mr. Wright, can't you just order burgers?"

"Fine, go ahead, but you pay for it Apollo."

"Why do I have to pay for it?"

"You're the one who suggested it, you're the one who pays for it."

Apollo sighed and shook his head. _I gotta go see if Maya is ok…she didn't look that way while she was at the table._ Heading to what was once his room, Phoenix saw Maya sitting on the bed, her cheeks wet with tears. Phoenix knocked on the door. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"No…it is your room anyway."

Phoenix came and sat on the bed. "Maya, I know what you're going through is tough…and I'm sorry I'm the one who brought it up to you…"

"You don't have to be sorry Phoenix…I should have seen it coming."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew Jonathan was somehow connected to the Blue Mountain murder…yet I covered that up. I wouldn't let my mind think of that. I thought that Jonathan had changed…but I was wrong."

Phoenix just sat there, listening to Maya. When she finished, Phoenix asked, "I have a question…who is this Mystic Joanne lady?"

"She's…she's my aunt. She's the oldest sister of my mom. She would have been the master, but she was banned from the village after the murder."

"Did she commit the murder?"

"We think we did, but we never had enough evidence to prove it. She would have been the master is she wasn't kicked from the village."

"Do you think she's the one trying to kill you?"

"Probably, what I've heard of her, she carries grudges, a lot. I doubt that she forgot about that day we kicked her out."

Just then, they heard Apollo shout, "Burgers are here!"

"Well…we should go eat."

"Okay, I'll be right there Nick."

With that Phoenix stood up and walked out of his room, took one last look at Maya, then went to go eat.

Thanks again for reading. I am planning on doing an Apollo case in a few chapters, so look forward to it. I know I'll enjoy writing it. Don't forget to review.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks again for reading. Not really much to say except "I don't own Phoenix Wright or any characters others than the ones I create. CAPCOM does." Oh, and sorry ahead of time…you guys are gonna hate me after this chapter. Also, spoiler alert for the first case of Apollo Justice.

Phoenix was lying on the couch. Since Maya was sleeping in his bed, Phoenix took it upon himself to claim the couch. _I could've sworn the couch is comfier in the day than it is now._ Phoenix tried to get some sleep, but his mind wouldn't let him. It was too focused on the woman in the next room. She had gone through so much lately. He wondered how it didn't break her down completely. Finally, his mind drifted off and he fell asleep.

Maya awoke later in the morning than what she usually does. She looked at the clock to see that it was ten in the morning. Getting up, she walked into the kitchen to see a note on the counter. "Apollo and I are looking for evidence for his case. Leftover burgers are in the fridge. Trucy is still home so if you get lonely, just talk to her. If you need anything, call me." Maya sighed. She went back to her room and collapsed on her bed. _Well…what should I do? I guess I'll just get washed and ready._ Maya got up from the bed and took a shower. After finally getting out of the shower and getting dressed, she trudged her way back to the kitchen, to see Trucy heating up the burger patties.

"Hey Trucy."

"Oh, hi Maya! Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"Sorta, just took me a while to get to sleep, but other than that, it was perfect."

Trucy nodded her head and went back to the patties. Seeing that they were steaming, she put them back in the buns and handed two burgers to Maya. Maya thanked Trucy and dug in. _At least I'm still hungry. _Maya quickly scarfed down the two burgers, while Trucy stared in amazement. Standing up, Maya went into the living room and watched some tv.

"What do you think about Cluster Corp.?"

Phoenix sighed. He was trying to call the CEO of Cluster Corp. but got an automated machine instead. Frustrated, Phoenix ended the call. "So much for us talking to the CEO."

Apollo sat down next to him. "What happened?"

"Got an automated machine that just wanted me to do a survey." Phoenix just looked at Apollo. "I don't think we'll find anything else."

Sighing, Apollo agreed. "This is gonna be a tough case. All we have is her autopsy report and some boysenberries that were found on the ground." (hint hint hint. Remember chapter 10)

"That's not much to go off of." Phoenix sighed and said that they should head back to the office. Apollo agreed. Several minutes later, Phoenix and Apollo arrived at the office. Opening the door, Phoenix was greeted with the smell of hamburgers and some other strange smell. Looking to his right, he saw a plate of probably a week old pizza slice. _How come I've never noticed this before?_ "Maya? Trucy?"

"We're in here!"

Phoenix and Apollo went to the living room and saw that they were watching the steel samurai re-runs. "Still watching that show Maya?"

"Of course Nick! It was an awesome show!"

Phoenix smiled and shook his head. Sitting down, Phoenix decided that he should probably watch the show…to get on Maya's good side. After a couple hours, Maya announced that she was going to go get a drink and headed toward the kitchen.

Apollo was sitting at the dinner table looking over documents for the next case. He would have Wright's help, but he knew it would be tough. _At least I have my wristband._ Apollo unconsciously felt it. After the case a few months ago, Apollo never let this wristband leave his sight. Not only is it the source of his powers, but it also belonged to his mother. _I wonder if she is really dead._ While Apollo was thinking these things, he was interrupted by Maya walking into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Apollo. What are you doing?"

"Looking over paperwork for the trial tomorrow. Gonna be a tough one, even with Mr. Wright's help."

"Well, Nick isn't perfect. If I wasn't around, Nick would have lost most of his cases." Maya giggled, remembering the many times when she channeled her sister, Mia, to help Nick out. "However, he has learned to stand on his own."

"Yeah, I would have lost my first case if it wasn't for Mr. Wright. Even though he was the defendant, he was still bent on finding the truth."

"You defended Nick?"

"Yep, and found that my mentor, Kristoph Gavin, was the murderer."

"Wow, did Nick help you with that?"

"Yep. After that case, Trucy has been helping me, along with my wristband."

"Huh?"

"Oh, you don't know about that yet. My wristband can basically sense when people are unsure of what they're saying. I can see basically everything that the witness does."

"That's a great weapon in court."

"It is. I've won many a case because of that."

"May I touch the wristband?"

"Sure."

As Maya was touching the wristband, she accidentally touched Apollo's hand. "Sorry."

"No problem."

_Wow…her hands feel so smooth…it feels like an electrical tingle is between us…_

Maya could feel it too. _I never realized how handsome Apollo looks…_

Phoenix felt an ominous feeling in his stomach. He looked around only to see Trucy. Phoenix turned back to the tv but the feeling still stayed there. Instead of leaving, it was growing. _It's probably the soda I was drinking. It caused me heartburn or something…_Feeling uncomfortable, Phoenix kept moving on the couch. Eventually, Trucy shushed him. Phoenix tried to stay still…but couldn't. Finally, giving up, he got up and went to the kitchen. What he saw when walked in…broke his heart. Turning back into the living room, he tried to forget the image that he just saw. He couldn't believe it. Maya and Apollo…actually kissed.

Told you that you guys would hate me. Please don't forget to review.


	20. Chapter 20

To the silent reader: thank you for your review. I appreciate you trying to make this story better. I'll try to fix that later in the story, but I've planned on this. I knew that chapter wouldn't be the best chapter ever, as I said in the beginning of the chapter. Thanks for the criticism and don't be sorry. I encourage you guys to criticize me. Thanks again for reviewing. I appreciate it. Also, just so you know, they won't be dating. You'll see why later.

Phoenix still couldn't believe it. Apollo actually kissed Maya. Phoenix was in shock. It wasn't like Apollo to do things like that. It was out of character for him. _Well…we are friends…but I'm not sure if he knows I love Maya…_ Phoenix thought about it and was certain that Apollo didn't know. Phoenix sat on the couch, staring at the tv. A few minutes later, Maya came back into the room. Phoenix stiffened a little but not noticeably to Maya…but Trucy noticed it. After the episode of the Steel Samurai, Phoenix said that he would be going to Raising Chickens to buy dinner. Getting his jacket, Phoenix went outside and waited for a taxi to come by. Soon, one did and Phoenix waved it down. Getting in, Phoenix told the cab driver where to go. To Phoenix's surprise, a familiar voice responded, "Whatever you say Sweetie."

"M…MAX!?"

"That's right, even as a cab driver, I look FABULOUS driving."

"What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be in Kurain Village?"

"Well…how would I be able to help you Sweetie if I was there?"

"Huh?"

"You mean you didn't recognize who was texting you?"

Phoenix thought a moment until a sudden realization hit him. "THAT'S where I saw the number before! It was your number!"

"That's right sweetie!"

"How did you even know about this?"

"I travel all over the world performing my magic. You don't suppose I didn't eavesdrop on a conversation the whole time I was traveling, do you?"

"Well….I guess…"

"Sweetie, it was two weeks ago. I was looking FABULOUS performing my magic. After my act, I went to my dressing room when I heard a voice say Maya's name. Being the FABOULOUS listener I was, I silently listened as he was given instructions."

"Who's is this guy?"

"That would be your 'witness' you heard during Jonathan's trial, Christian Lumarta."

"WHAT?! You mean he's been in on this since the beginning?"

"Yes, sweetie, you see, Christian has a connection to Kurain Village. His father was murdered there."

"Wait…so his father was the victim at Blue Mountain?'

"One of them, yes."

"One of them?"

"You heard Jonathan's conversation with his brother, sweetie. You should know that Jonathan was the person who killed his father."

"Wait…so Jonathan killed Christian's father?"

"Yes sweetie. Oops, we're almost there. We'll talk later sweetie. Just remember, they know you're here. Prepare for anything to happen."

With that, Max pulled up to the corner and let Phoenix out. "No need to pay sweetie. I'll count this as the favor I owed you for getting me an acquittal."

As Max drove off, Phoenix slowly walked to the entrance.

Pearl's head was pounding. Her kidnappers had only given her enough bread and water to keep her alive. She was still tied up and her wrists were raw and bleeding from her attempts to escape the ropes. She was cold, hungry, and scared. Then, a person came up to her. "Well, darling, it seems your usefulness has ended."

"What do you mean? You're not going to kill me, aren't you?"

"What? Heavens no. In fact, it's the opposite, I'm going to release you."

"You are?"

"Yes, good thing you're already in the city so getting you to Raising Chickens won't be that hard."

"Why there?"

"Why, that's where Phoenix Wright is right now. Don't worry, we'll get you there."

With that, the lady cut the ropes restraining Pearl and helped her to a car.

"I'll have two number threes, one number four, and one number six."

"Small, medium, or large?"

"Medium."

"That will be twenty-one dollars and six cents."

Phoenix paid the cashier the money and sat down to wait. Phoenix observed other customers come into the restaurant and one of them seemed familiar. The man didn't order any food. Instead, he went to Phoenix, handed him a note, and walked off. Opening the note, Phoenix read, "Go outside to the back. There will be a present waiting for you."

"Order number sixteen!"

Phoenix jolted up and went to go get the food. After receiving the food, Phoenix went to the back of the building and looked around. Seeing nothing, Phoenix stepped closer and saw a person sitting down, tied up.

"Hello?" As Phoenix stepped closer, he saw that it was Pearls.

"PEARLS!" Phoenix rushed up to Pearl and unbound her wrists. Pearl lunged at Phoenix and hugged him tight. "Mr. Nick!" Pearl was crying uncontrollably. Phoenix tried his best to calm Pearl down. Finally, when she was calm, Phoenix called the police, saying that a missing person had been found. After the police arrived and a paramedic was taking care of Pearl's wounds, Phoenix called his office. After a few rings, Trucy answered.

"Wright Anything Agency!"

"Trucy, is Maya close by?"

"Um…she's right next to me. I'll put her on."

After a few seconds, Maya's voice came over the receiver. "What is it Nick?"

"I found Pearl!"

"What!? Where is she!?"

"She's at Raising Chickens right now. I received a note from this guy that told me to come to the back of the building. I did and found Pearls there."

"I'll be right there Nick!"

Maya hung up the phone and dashed out of the office.

Phoenix put his phone in his pocket and went up to Pearl.

"Maya is on her way here."

"She's in town?"

"Yes, there's been…complications between Maya and Jonathan. She's staying at the office for a while."

"Oh…okay, by the way, do you have any food?"

Phoenix smiled and shook his head yes. He reached into the bag and took out his meal. He gave it to Pearl who ate hungrily. A few minutes later, Maya appeared. "MYSTIC MAYA!" Pearl opened her arms and Maya rushed into them, giving Pearl and big hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe Pearly!"

Phoenix looked on, knowing that the people who took Pearl were still out there. Sooner or later, they would become bolder.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter from the horrible one last time. As I said before, I welcome ALL reviews that help me become a better writer.


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks again for reading. Making this a three chapter day to make up for the horrible chapter at the beginning of the day. Don't forget to review.

Phoenix was sitting in the hospital waiting room. Since Pearl came back, they had to go to the hospital to do a checkup on her to make sure she was okay. Phoenix didn't mind, though he was a bit hungry. Besides, Phoenix would make sure Pearl wouldn't be kidnapped while he was around. As the hours dragged on, Phoenix was beginning to wonder how long a simple checkup could take. Finally, Pearl and Maya came out from the back. "Mr. Nick, I'm perfectly healthy."

"That's good Pearls. Good to have you back."

Pearl smiled at him. _She is just like her cousin. She has been through so much, yet she doesn't appear to have been through anything._ "Well Pearls, let's get you to the office."

As they made it to the taxi, Maya was thinking about the events of the day. She couldn't believe the mistake she made (as I did for even putting that in the story.) _I have to talk to Apollo about this._

When they made it back to the office, Trucy was asleep and Apollo was working on paperwork for the trial tomorrow. Maya walked up to Apollo and said, "Apollo, we need to talk."

Looking up, Apollo shook his head. "Yes we do…we made a mistake."

"Yes we did. We shouldn't have done that. We're just friends."

"Yes, exactly, just friends."

As Maya walked off, Apollo wearily rubbed his head. _I should be getting to bed. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day_.

Phoenix awoke to Apollo shaking him up. "Mr. Wright! Get up! We have to be at the courthouse in an hour."

Phoenix sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot." Phoenix had only gotten to sleep a couple hours ago. Yesterday was an interesting day to say the least and it took a toll on him. Getting up, Phoenix showered and shaved. After about twenty minutes, Phoenix met Apollo at the front door. "Hold on for just a second Apollo. Have to write a note to Maya, Trucy, and Pearls." Phoenix sat down and wrote a short note. Setting it on the table, Phoenix and Apollo set out for the courthouse.

Apollo was sitting in the defendant lobby. His client had just gotten there and was pacing nervously. "Mr. Dugan, I promise you that I'll get you an acquittal."

"It's not that I'm worried about…"

"Then what are you worried about?"

"You'll find out during the trial."

Apollo looked at Phoenix who only shrugged. _This case keeps getting weirder and weirder…_

The judge banged on his gavel, bringing silence to the courtroom. "Court is now in session for the trial of Douglas Dugan."

Prosecutor Gavin looked at the judge. "The prosecution is ready to roll!"

"The defense is ready, your honor."

"Very well. Mr. Gavin, you opening statement please?"

"It's fairly simple. While the fraulen was in her apartment, Mr. Dugan strangled her. Why? Because she had recently lost a case in which he specifically was named. Infuriated, Mr. Dugan killed her."

"Well…that seems to be a fairly clear case…"

"Indeed, your honor. Not even Herr Forehead can get an acquittal."

"What makes you say that?"

"Investigation, Herr Forehead. I believe Detective Ema Skye would like to fill us in on all the details."

The judge nodded his head. "Very well, you may call your first witness."

"The prosecution calls Ms. Ema Skye to the stand."

Ema Skye went up to the witness stand, her precious Snackoos in hand. "Well, Fraulen, you know what to testify about."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it fop."

"The victim was in her apartment when she was strangled. The item we believe responsible for the strangling is this piece of rope. We searched the crime scene and could not find anything else worth reporting."

"Hmmm…so, if there was nothing else worth reporting, that would mean only the defendant could have committed the murder. Mr. Justice, you may begin your cross-examination…just keep your objections lower this time."

"The victim was in her apartment when she was strangled—"

"Hold it! Do you have proof this was the murder scene?"

"*Crunch Crunch* Yes, there were signs of struggle and the defendant's blood was found all over the place."

"I spoke with Mr. Dugan and I didn't see a scratch on him."

"His sleeve covered the wound on his arm. Apparently, she had fought back, causing a deep gash across his arm."

"…very well, please continue."

"The item we believe responsible for the strangling is this piece of rope—"

"Hold it! What makes you believe that the rope was the murder weapon?"

"The rope marks on the victim's neck match perfectly with the rope. Therefore, the rope was the murder weapon."

"Well…"

"Herr Forehead, I won't allow you to continue this line of questioning unless you have something that makes it relavent."

"Well, Mr. Jusitce? Do you have any evidence that makes this piece of testimony important?"

"…no your honor."

The judge shook his head. "Very well, please continue."

"We searched the crime scene and could not find anything else worth reporting—"

"Hold it! About how long did you search?"

"Hmmm…about three hours. *crunch*"

"And you didn't find anything?"

"Not really."

"…Mr. Wright, did you see anything wrong with this testimony?"

"There is one issue I would object to. She claims there was nothing else worth reporting, yet we have something that contradicts that.

"We do?"

Phoenix shook his head. After looking confused for a few seconds, Apollo finally caught on. "OBJECTION!"

"AHHH!" The judge scurried beneath his chair. "Mr. Justice, I thought I asked you to keep your objections lower."

"Ah…sorry, your honor."

"Well…Herr Forehead…you shouted objection. What exactly do you have that can contradict this testimony?"

Apollo took out a few boysenberries. "These contradict Ms. Ema Skye's testimony."

"Boysenberries?"

"Yes. Ms. Skye testified that there was nothing else worth reporting. Yet, we found these boysenberries at the scene of the crime!"

"What exactly does that prove, Herr Forehead?"

"It proves that Mr. Dugan could not have been the killer!"

"How so?"

"If you read the autopsy report, it clearly states that Ms. Miller was deathly allergic to any type of berry…along with her fiancée! Obviously, she didn't have any berries in her house, and I doubt that Mr. Dugan would have any berries with him either! After all, if something went wrong, he would also be in danger of dying!"

The crowd erupted into chatter. The judge slammed on his gavel to quiet them down. "Order! Order! Ms. Skye, how could you have missed that?"

"*crunch crunch* It was the fop's fault."

"Fop?"

"Yes, the prosecutor over there. He stated that the boysenberries had nothing to do with the case, so I dismissed them."

"Hmmm….you didn't try to conceal evidence, right Mr. Gavin?"

Klavier Gavin started playing air guitar for a little bit until finally answering. "No, Herr Judge, I did not. I completely forgot about his allergies."

"Hmmm…very well…do you have another witness to present since this one is clearly…too hungry to testify?"

"Yes, we do. Her name is Lorella Miller, the victims's daughter."

"Hmm…Mr. Gavin, the court will allow you a five minute recess to prepare your witness."

"Very well."

"This court is now in recess."

With that, the judge slammed his gavel.

That's right, three chapters in one day. I was on a roll. Also, made up for my chapter 19 mistake. Don't forget to review.


	22. Chapter 22

Finished college for today. I have some time on my hands right now so I thought I'd write another chapter. Enjoy.

Apollo Justice went into the defendants lobby. Apollo couldn't believe that a recess was called so soon. Of course, there always was the possibility of having a short trial, but to have a recess this quickly…

"So, Apollo, what do you think of the case so far?"

"Well…Mr. Wright…it's an unusual one."

"From what I see…it will get even weirder."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say I have a hunch right now…and it involves those boysenberries."

"Huh?"

"It will be revealed in time…"

Apollo looked at Phoenix. _Why must he be so vague all the time?_

"Mr. Justice, recess is almost over. Please return to the defense's desk."

Apollo sighed and went back into the courtroom.

"Court is back in session. Mr. Gavin, please present your witness."

"Ms. Lorella Miller, please take the stand."

A blonde twelve-year old took the stand. "Name and occupation?"

"Lorella Miller and…uh….middleschooler."

"Well…you sure seem…a little…energetic."

"Yes, wellyouseeIjusthadfivecansof sodaso…"

The judge banged his gavel. "Can you please just give us your testimony?"

"Fine."

"I was in my room at the time of the murder. Suddenly, I heard shouting. Leaving my room, I went to see what was wrong when I saw Dougie put a pillow on my mom's face. I screamed for him to stop but he wouldn't. Finally, my mom stopped moving."

"Sorry for your loss but thank you for testifying."

"Ifyou'rereallythankfulyou'llgivemesome…"

"Mr. Justice, your cross-examination please?"

"I was in my room at the time of the murder—"

"Hold it! What were you doing in your room?"

"Oh, I was doing homework and such…"

"What subject?"

"You know…the one with the…book."

"…"

"OBJECTION! Herr Forehead, we're not here to discipline her with her homework."

The judge shook his head. "The court agrees. Please continue."

"Suddenly, I heard shouting—"

"Hold it! What were they arguing about?"

"Something about her losing a case or something like that…"

_That coincides with Klavier's motive…_

"Leaving my room, I went to see what was wrong when I saw Dougie put a pillow on my mom's face—"

"OBJECTION! Lorella, are you ABSOLUTELY sure you saw this?"

"Yes, why would I lie about seeing my mom's death?"

"…but sadly, you have lied."

"Huh?"

"Your mom was strangled with a piece of rope tied around her neck, not smothered by a pillow."

"What?"

"Can you explain why you lied to us in your testimony?"

"Sure I can."

"When Dougie was killing my mom, she knocked over a bowl of boysenberries. The bowl flew through the air and hit my head, causing me to forget how she was killed. Sorry about that."

"Hmmm….this must have been a traumatic experience for you."

"Yesitwasespeciallysince…"

"Mr. Justice, the cross-examination."

"When Dougie was killing my mom, she knocked over a bowl of boysenberries—"

"OBJECTION! Lorella, I'm pretty sure you know this…but your mom couldn't have had boysenberries in the house…she was deathly allergic to them…as you are too."

"But—but there were boysenberries on the floor!"

"Sure there were, however…they were brought in by a different person."

"A different person?"

"Yes, the real murderer!"

The crowd burst out into chatter. The judge slammed his gavel. "Order! Order! Mr. Justice, please continue."

"Yes, your honor. Lorella, your mother was allergic to boysenberries, so she wouldn't have bought any. However, the real killer had boysenberries on him so when he killer your mom—"

"OBJECTION! That's far enough, Herr Forehead!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty certain that anyone wouldn't just have boysenberries on him. Think about it. Would you go murder someone…with boysenberries in your pocket?"

"Uh…well….no."

"Exactly, now unless you can present proof that the killer did indeed have boysenberries with him, we have to accept this girl's testimony as fact."

"WHAAAT!?"

The crowd erupted. The judge had to slam his gavel several times to calm them down. "ORDER! Mr. Justice, can you present proof that the killer had boysenberries with him?"

_This is it, the entire case hinges on this one part. I can't fail._

"Don't worry Apollo, it's quite simple…when you think of what has happened in the past few days."

_I finally think I know what Mr. Wright is talking about…this is it…time to make two cases come together…_

"Your honor…I have evidence the killer had boysenberries with him."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Show us the evidence that the killer had boysenberries with him."

"The evidence isn't with me right this second—"

"Ha, this is a new low for you, Herr Forehead."

"HOWEVER I can tell you what it is."

"Well…what was it?"

"It was Pearl Fey's kidnapper who killer Ms. Miller."

"WHAAAT?!"

"Think about it, Mr. Wright was at Raising Chickens when Pearl was brought to him. It had to take a few minutes to get there before Mr. Wright left. Now, Ms. Miller's home was only a few blocks away, clearly giving the kidnapper enough time to get her to Mr. Wright. The boysenberries must have been from when Pearl was picking them when she was kidnapped and fell when she was in the room."

"OBJECTION! I am familiar with the case you're referring to, and might I point out something?"

_Uh oh…what did I miss?_

"Mr. Wright found the basket of boysenberries during his own investigation. Now, how did boysenberries get in the room with her?"

_From what I've seen of Pearl…she is hungry a lot …and because of this…it will solve the case…_

"Her pockets."

"Her pockets?"

"Yes, Pearl likes boysenberries, as you can tell by the number of boysenberries she picked. Also, she decided to save some for herself."

"What?!"

"Pearl was probably hungry when she was picking boysenberries. Now, if I had some of my favorite foods with me, I'd eat some then and save some for later. I'm sure that's exactly what Pearl did."

"OBJECTION! You have no proof of this!"

"OBJECTION! I'm sure if you examine Pearl's pockets of the outfit she was wearing, you'll find traces of boysenberries."

"OBJECTION! I will not allow police resources to go to something that is merely conjecture!"

"OBJECTION! That is a way to prove this 'conjecture' to be true. Your honor, I request that the police examine Pearl's outfit!"

"…your request is granted. Baliff, contact the police department and tell them to check the pockets of her outfit."

"OBJECTION! How do you plan to get her outfit, Herr Forehead?"

"Simple, the police already have it with them. They're already examining the outfit before the trial even began!"

"Ungh…"

_A few minutes later_

"Your honor! I have the results from their findings."

"Well, what is it?"

"They found traces of boysenberries in her pockets!"

"Hmmm…this is an interesting finding…I have no choice but to postpone proceedings until tomorrow."

"But your honor, that doesn't prove that she was at the building…"

"That will be your job to disprove then, Prosecutor Gavin."

"Urgh…"

"The trial of Doug Dugan will be postponed until tomorrow. That is all, court is adjourned."

The judge slammed his gavel.

Thanks again for reading. Don't forget to review.


	23. Chapter 23

Wow…almost 3,500 views…NEVER expected this. Thanks for reading and please review.

Phoenix went out of the courtroom behind Apollo. Apollo had stood his ground in the courtroom without a lot of his help. _He certainly is becoming a great defense attorney…_ "Good job Apollo, job well done."

"It's thanks to you, Mr. Wright. I never would have done it without you."

"Well…I'm sure you have to go investigate. I'll leave you to that."

"Bur Mr. Wright? Aren't you gonna help?"

"Nah, you got this."

"…ok."

Apollo slowly walked out of the defendant lobby, followed by Phoenix.

When Phoenix made it back to the office, Pearl and Trucy were talking and giggling. "What are you girls giggling about?"

"Oh, hi Daddy! How was Polly's trial?"

"He managed to survive to live another day. He's out investigating right now."

"Oh…well, Pearl and I will have to go and—"

"Trucy, can I speak with Pearls for a second?"

"Why sure! …go on, talk to her!"

"…alone."

Trucy pouted and walked off. "Pearls, do you remember anything about where you were being held after you were kidnapped?"

"Um…a little."

"What do you remember?"

"Um…the room I was held in was dark, cramped, and smelly. When they finally went to release me, I was shoved into a living room…"

"Hmmm…about how far did your kidnappers drive to get you to Raising Chickens?"

"Uh…about four minutes?"

"I see…well Pearl, you can go see Trucy again. Thanks."

"You're welcome Mr. Nick. Oh, before I forget, did you tell Mystic Maya that she's your 'special someone'?"

"No, not yet Pearls. Besides…it's…it's a bit more complicated now…"

"How so?"

"Uh…well…I guess that's something you'll have to figure out yourself?"

"What does she have to figure out?"

Phoenix turned around and saw Maya walk into the room. "Uh…she has to figure out…how to…cook some…spaghetti, yes that's it. Now, if you excuse me…I have to do something."

Maya looked at Phoenix as he went off. "Um…Mystic Maya?"

"Yes Pearly?"

"Um…how do you feel about Mr. Nick?"

"Uh…well…why are you asking me about this all of a sudden?"

"Oh, just curious."

"Well, curiosity killed the cat."

"So you do like him?"

"What? No! How did you come up with that after I said a simple cliché?"

"It's the fact that you changed the subject."

"Well, look at that, the Steel Samurai is on. Gotta go watch it. See ya Pearly."

Maya sprinted to the next room. Much to her surprise, the Steel Samurai was on. Sitting down on the couch, she slowly relaxed and tried to forget about the whole conversation.

"So, Daddy, when will you get me a new mommy?"

"Ugh…Trucy, we already went over this. Not for a while, ok?"

"No, not okay. Come on, you're thirty-three years old. There has to be SOMEONE special in your life, right?"

"Uh…Trucy, let's just go and see what's on tv downstairs."

"Why?"

"Because I want to watch tv?"

"I won't let you leave Daddy until you tell me who that special someone is!"

"Sheesh, you're starting to sound like Pearls."

"Well, tell me daddy!"

"Uh…um…"

"Don't you even think about changing the subject! Otherwise, Mr. Hat will have to do something about it!"

"Ah, ok, just don't bring him out. Still freaks me out."

"Then tell me!"

"Well…it's uh…M—Maya."

"I knew it!"

"What do you mean?"

"I knew you loved her! Somehow I just knew!"

"Trucy, will you keep it down, I don't want her…her…knowing…"

Trucy turned around…only to see Maya in the doorway.

Maya immediately turned back and ran back to the living room.

"Trucy!"

"Uh…gotta go dad! See ya later!"

Trucy ran off leaving Phoenix there, dazed.

_Now what do I do?_

Phoenix's phone rang. "Hello, this is Wright."

"Mr. Wright, I need you to come to Ms. Miller's house right away!"

"Why?"

"Just come!"

Apollo hung up. _Wait…in order to get to door…I have to go through the living room, where I bet Maya is right now…_

Phoenix slowly went near the living room and peeked from the corner, to see Maya sitting on the couch.

_Come on, can't I just get ONE break!?_

Phoenix went back to his couch, got his shoes on and went back down. Peeking around the corner again, Maya was still there, staring intently at the tv.

_I gotta do this quickly!_

Phoenix sprinted across the room and out the door, hearing Maya call out his name.

_Too close, now please come taxi, please come!_

Thankfully, a taxi did come and Phoenix hopped in.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll tell you later, just step on it!"

The cab driver took off. Phoenix looked back, to see Maya looking at the cab.

_Well…dodged a bullet there…for now._

"So, where are we going?"

Phoenix told the cab driver where to go. After a few minutes, Phoenix stepped out in front of the house. After paying the taxi cab driver, Phoenix walked into the house. "Apollo?"

"Mr. Wright! You have to see this!"

Apollo led Phoenix to a closet. "I was looking into the murder and the boysenberries when I entered this closet. Here, I found out exactly where they kept Pearl."

Phoenix took a look around. He could see a security camera in the corner, obviously to keep track of Pearl. Phoenix looked at the ground and saw ropes, a roll of duct tape, and blood, lots and lots of blood.

"Where did all this blood come from?"

"I'm guessing from a different person. Guessing from how old the blood looks, I'd say it was there for about a month."

"Hmmm….that's what I would say. The only question is…whose blood is this?"

"A forensics team should be here any second now to examine it."

"Another question…how in the world did all of us miss this until today!?"

"I have no idea."

Just then, a forensics team arrived.

After doing a few tests, the forensics team announced. "This blood is from Mr. Dugan."

"Our client?"

"Yep, don't ask me how the blood got there, but it's definitely from him."

Phoenix shook his head. "This case is getting weirder and weirder. Why would there be THIS much blood?"

Phoenix thought for a second. "Wait, remember right before the trial when we were talking with Mr. Dugan?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He said that the court case wasn't the only thing he was worried about…what if Pearl's kidnappers did this to him?"

"That would make sense…yes, but it will be a tough time proving that in court."

"True…very true….well, we should head to the office to sort things out…this case and something else…"

"Something else?"

"Uh…nothing."

Apollo shook his head and left with Phoenix. After flagging down another taxi, both Phoenix and Apollo went to the office.

As they entered the office, there was no escape for Phoenix, Maya was sitting right next to the door.

"Phoenix, we need to talk!"

_Uh oh…she never calls me by my first name…this isn't good_

Apollo looked at Phoenix and scurried off. "Phoenix, is it true what you told Trucy?"

"Uh…"

"Tell me the truth!"

"…no, it was a lie, just to get her to stop bugging me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, what makes you think I'm lying?"

"…I can tell."

With that, Maya spun around and took off.

Well, that ends the chapter folks. I hope you enjoyed it…and hopefully it didn't turn out to be a bust. As you can tell…it's gonna be awkward between them for a while, so prepare for that.


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks again for reading. The next chapter will be the next part of the trial, so for now, you have to read the romance part of the story, while meeting a new person. Don't forget to review. I enjoy hearing from you guys.

Phoenix was cramped in the taxi cab. After he and Apollo made it back to his office, Apollo suggested that they go out for burgers. Sadly, Phoenix was suckered into buying. Trucy and Pearl shared a seat, Apollo sat in the middle, and Phoenix sat at the edge of the car. Luckily, Maya was in the front seat. _At least I'm not squished next to her. That would be awkward._ As the cab ride slowly carried on, Phoenix kept flashing back to when Maya overheard him telling Trucy that Maya was "special" to him. He lied when Maya talked to him about it, and he could tell she didn't buy it. Finally, the cab came to a stop in front of Mac's Burgers. After paying the driver, Phoenix went in to join everyone else.

Lloyd Grescham was having an easy night working at Mac's Burgers. The day was slow and not many customers requested too many special burgers. When a noisy group of people came in, Lloyd groaned. Noisy people usually meant he would have a difficult time keeping them happy. _Damn, why must there always be a noise group EVERY night! This is starting to be ridiculous._ As Lloyd looked down at the register, he said the lines he'd been saying ever since the morning. "Welcome to Mac's Burgers, what would you guy like today?"

Phoenix was at the cash register ordering the food for everyone else. "I'd like two number threes, one number four, and three number sixes." "That'll be thirty-four dollars and sixteen cents." Phoenix paid the employee and sat down to wait for the food.

_Sheesh, why must they order so much food, so much for an easy night._ Lloyd systematically made the burgers and put the fries in the designated spots on the trays. While creating their meal, he heard his other co-workers watch a basketball game. _They're supposed to be working. Just my luck the manager likes basketball too._ As he finally finished the last burger, Lloyd put the last burger in its spot and took it to the group. "Here you go guys."

Phoenix looked up to see the employee hand them their food. "Thanks."

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything."

As they were sorting out their food, Lloyd decided to take a little break. _No one is here besides them right now, guess I'll just make myself some dinner._ Lloyd made a burger for himself and gave himself some fries. As he was about to take his first bite, he heard a voice call to him, "Hey, the ketchup is out." Looking up, he saw a woman with a topknot, purple robe, and some sort of necklace hanging around her neck. "Oh, sorry about that. I'll get on it right away." Lloyd got up to go refill the catsup machine.

As Lloyd was about to refill the ketchup, Maya came up with an idea. She knew Nick was lying to her, but he wasn't about to tell the truth anytime soon. "So, what's your name?"

"Lloyd, Lloyd Grescham."

"So how long have you been working here?"

"I started a few months ago. I was laid off from the steel plant in town. After not finding a job anywhere else, I decided to work here until I find something else."

"I see. What did you do at the steel plant?"

Phoenix was eating his burger hungrily. Maya went up to tell the employee they were out of ketchup and Phoenix was starting to crave his fries. Looking up, he saw Maya with the employee at the catsup machine, talking.

"So that's what they do at the plant, I never knew."

"Well, it exactly wasn't the easiest job, but it paid the bills."

Maya giggled. "So, what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Maya, Maya Fey."

"Maya…that's an uncommon name."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. My mother decided to be unique with my name."

Lloyd smiled. "So, where do you work?"

"Well…right now…nowhere. I was the master at Kurain Village but things have changed recently."

"Wait…YOU'RE Maya Fey? Phoenix Wright's assistant seven years ago?"

"Yep, that's me."

"Wow, I've been a fan of Phoenix Wright for a long time. I remember seeing him on tv during one of his trials."

"What trial?"

"Uh…I think it was the one with the waitress who was originally convicted of murder, but Phoenix got her off the hook."

"Ah, Maggey Byrde! I remember that case well."

Before Lloyd could respond, he heard his manager call his name. "Ugh, I have to go. It's been nice talking to you."

Maya looked over her shoulder and saw Phoenix just eating his burger…slowly. "Hey, before you go, can I have your phone number?"

Lloyd was stunned. "Sure."

Phoenix looked up to see Lloyd writing something on a napkin. _What could he possibly be writing?_ Phoenix took another bite of his burger and looked at Pearl, who was eying Maya warily. He looked back at Maya who was heading back to the table.

"So, is there more ketchup in there?"

"Yep."

"Sure took a while."

"Well, we had a nice chat. Even got his phone number."

_Phone number!? So that's what he was writing…_

"Well, I'm gonna go get some ketchup. Does anyone else want some?"

Everyone but Maya shook their head. "Ok, I'll go get some."

"Mr. Nick, you're gonna need help. I'll go with you."

Pearl bolted out of her chair and went with Phoenix to the ketchup machine.

"Why did you want to help me get ketchup?"

"Because I don't like the way Mystic Maya was talking to the worker there."

"Pearls, she's allowed to talk to other guys besides me."

"But she's not supposed to get their phone numbers so quickly."

_This is true…_

As Phoenix pumped the last bit of ketchup in the little cup, he walked back to the table.

Later that night, Phoenix collapsed on the couch. It had been a tough day. Phoenix tried to get to sleep, but thoughts of Maya getting the Lloyd's phone number, (as Maya told him on the way back to the office) kept crawling into his brain. _It's probably nothing…just became friends fast…very fast._ Finally Phoenix managed to keep his eyes shut and drifted off to sleep.

Maya…never knew she could be so devious. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. This hopefully won't receive the same response as chapter 19 did. Anyway, Lloyd will be here to stay for a while. Don't forget to review…again.


	25. Chapter 25

The story hit the 4,000 view mark. I won't be doing two chapters today, but I will tomorrow. Hope you enjoy this and please don't forget to review. I'll make this trial look more like an Apollo Justice trial this time than last time.

Apollo was in the defendant's lobby. The defendant, Douglas Dougan, was sitting on the bench, nervously looking around the room. Apollo was looking at Douglas, wondering why he was so nervous. Phoenix was leaning against the wall, looking at the floor like it was an enemy. _Great, everyone is acting weird today._

"Of course I am."

Apollo looked at Phoenix. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes you did, and I'm nervous because they are calling Pearl as a witness today."

"They are?!"

"Sadly, yes. With our theory that she was held there, the prosecution believes they can bust right through it with her testimony. It'll be all or nothing with her. If you can keep this theory afloat, they'll have to look to another person to be the killer. The trial will be won then."

"That sounds easier said than done."

Phoenix nodded. Finally, the bailiff told Apollo it was time for the trial to begin. Apollo sighed heavily, then entered the courtroom.

The judge slammed his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Douglas Dougan."

"The defense is ready your honor."

"The prosecution is rolling Herr judge."

"Very well. Yesterday, Mr. Justice gave the possibility that one Pearl Fey, who was kidnapped some time ago, was being held at the house of the victim…Ms. Shelly Miller. Does the prosecution plan to discredit this claim?"

"Of course…Herr Judge. We are ready to call a witness."

"A witness? Who?"

"None other than Ms. Pearl Fey."

"The victim herself?! Well…okay, you may summon her as a witness."

Pearl walked up to the witness stand.

"Name and occupation Fraulen."

"Pearl Fey and I'm a spirit medium…in training."

"Very well, Fraulen, please tell us about the place you were being held."

"The place I was being held was cramped and dark. I could tell there was only one door and I could see a red light from a security camera. The floor was left completely clean."

"Hmm…it must have been tough for you in there. Very well, you may begin your cross-examination Mr. Justice. And remember…KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN!"

_I can hear you, your honor…_

"The place I was being held was cramped and dark—"

"Hold it! There wasn't a light in there?"

"No…at least that I could reach. I knew there was a ceiling fan with a lamp on the ceiling…but that's it."

"Hmm…please continue Pearl."

"I could tell there was only one door—"

"Hold it! Are you absolutely sure about that?"

"Yes, there were no other doors and not a single window."

"Very well…please continue."

"I could see a red light from a security camera—"

"Hold it! How could you tell it was a security camera?"

"The red light illuminated the area around the camera just enough so I could see it."

_That makes sense…her eyes would have adjusted to the dark…_

"Please continue."

"And the floor was completely clean—"

"OBJECTION!"

The judge jerked up and hid under the chair he was sitting on. "Mr. Justice! I thought I told you to keep your voice down!"

"Heh…sorry, your honor. Now Pearl, are you absolutely sure the floor was clean?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Sorry, Pearl…but you've made a mistake. There was a huge bloodstain on the floor."

"What? There was?"

"Yes, there was."

"OBJECTION! Your honor…Fraulen here has just proven that the closet was not the place she was held at."

"How so, Mr. Gavin?"

"If she were truly there…she would have known about the bloodstain. Clearly, she wasn't there at all."

"Urgh…"

_Is this really it Apollo? Are you gonna lose this in only one cross-examination?_

"I see…well Mr. Justice? Can you still support your claim?"

"…."

"Clearly, Herr Forehead cannot. His theory has just been exposed as the baseless conjecture it is."

_I've come this close…I can't give up…there must be something…_

"Mr. Gavin is correct. I hereby declare that this cross-examination is—"

"OBJECTION!"

Everyone looked at the defense's desk…at Phoenix Wright.

"Your honor, there still is one thing that can explain why she didn't see the bloodstain."

"But how Mr. Wright?"

"Apollo, think, look at it from a different angle. Don't ask why she didn't see it, ask yourself how she didn't see it."

"…!"

_Hmmm…I think I know what he's talking about!_

"Your honor the defense can come up with a reason why she didn't see the blood stain."

"This is interesting. Please explain to the court what you're talking about."

"It's the darkness Pearl described."

"The darkness?"

"Yes, if you were in a room completely stained with blood, but the room was dark…you'd never know any blood was there. Thus, Pearl didn't see the blood stain because of the darkness!"

"OBJECTION! However, the red light from the camera might have given off enough light for her to see the ground!"

"OBJECTION! She clearly stated in her testimony that the light only illuminated the area around the security camera, not the floor. Also, the color of the light was red, which also would blend perfectly with the blood stain."

The judge slammed his gavel. "Enough! Pearl Fey?"

"Yes, your honor?"

"We're going to need more testimony…about what was beyond that door."

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted. "Your honor, she was trapped in a closet. She couldn't possibly know what was beyond that door!"

"Um…Apollo…I was taken out of the closet when I was taken to Raising Chickens. I can describe the room."

"Very well…please give us your testimony."

_I have a bad feeling about this…_

"The room outside the door looked like a dining room There was a table there with food on it, but the people there must have liked couches because there were two couches around the table. I also saw a tv. That's all I can remember."

"Hmmm…very well. Your cross-examination Mr. Justice."

_My bracelet is reacting…she's not sure about something!_

"The room outside the door looked like a dining room—"

Apollo let the bracelet do its work. As Pearl was saying that the room was a dining room, her eye twitched ever so slightly. "GOTCHA!"

"Pearl…you have a little habit. When you aren't sure about something, your left eye twitches ever so slightly."

"Huh?"

"Pearl, you aren't positive that the room was a dining room, are you?"

"…no, to be honest, the couches made me doubt that."

"I'm sure it did because no normal person would have a couch around a dining table."

"Heh..yeah."

_My bracelet went off again! She's not sure what caused her to doubt it._

"Your eye twitched again Pearl! You are hiding something from me."

"But…how—"

"Please Pearl…tell us what you saw."

"But…I can't…"

"Why not?"

"…."

"Pearl…please…do it for Phoenix…"

"For Mr. Nick?"

"Yes…please…"

"…I saw a woman on top of another woman…with rope in her hand, knocking off a bowl of boysenberries…"

"Boysenberries?"

"Yes…that's what caused me to doubt whether it was a dining room or not…because a regular dining room wouldn't just have a bowl of berries."

"But…Ms. Miller and her daughter are allergic to berries…they would have died if there were berries in the house…"

"OBJECTION! Fraulen, are you sure you saw a WOMAN on top of the victim?"

"…yes. She was thanking her for allowing them to use her house…"

"WHAAAT?!"

Apollo couldn't believe it. _She allowed Pearl to be held hostage in her house…_"Wait…that would also explain why the boysenberries were there. Since other people were using her house to keep Pearl there…they would have brought the berries along."

"However…Herr Forehead…there is another question that needs to be answered, why was there a bloodstain on the floor?"

"The blood belonged to my client…so that means the only way to know why is to ask him ourselves."

"Very well…Mr. Dougan, please take the stand."

Douglas Dougan took the stand, with some sort of food in his hand.

"Um…Mr. Dougan…what is it you're eating?"

"A croissant…with some sort of liquid filled center."

"Hmmm…are you still able to testify with the croissant in your mouth?"

"Yes, your honor."

"I was tortured by a woman about a week ago. Shelly told me about someone forcing their way into her house. When I went there, I was drugged and placed in the closet and cut with a knife several times before I said it was okay to stay in her house."

"WHAT?! You were tortured?" The judge looked shocked.

"Yes…they slowly cut up my arm."

"Hmmm...very well, begin your cross examination."

"I was tortured by a woman about a week ago—"

"Hold it! So that's when the blood stain appeared? When you were tortured?"

"Yes…I was bleeding profusely from my wound."

"Hmmm…can you tell us who tortured you?"

"Well…she looked like a witch…crazed…and the person accompanying her looked like he was on a mission…never showing any emotion."

"Do you know their names?"

"I think I managed to hear the lady's name."

"What was it?"

"I think it was—"

Suddenly, a look of horror appeared on Douglas's face. His throat rattled and his breathing forced.

"Mr. Dougan!"

Douglas fell to the ground, gasping for breath. His face had begun to swell and looked like he was starting to get bumps on his body.

"Bailiff! Get a doctor immediately!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Dougan, you'll get through this."

Looking to his right, Apollo saw the fallen croissant. Examining it, he saw what was the liquid filled center…strawberry filling.

"*gasp* Ap…Apollo…f—find the person…who gave me…the…croissant…"

With that, Douglas's eyes closed, but his struggled breathing still remained. Finally, a paramedic ran into the courtroom. Everyone, including Apollo, was ushered out of the courtroom.

Thanks again for reading. I had planned on this for a while so this wasn't a surprise for me. Please don't forget to review.


	26. Chapter 26

In response to having 4,000 views…I'm gonna be doing one big chapter instead of 2 chapters. Hope you guys enjoy it. Also, I'll be closing the poll to whether or not to create a sequel to this story on Wednesday so don't forget to vote.

Phoenix couldn't believe what had happened. Apollo's client unknowingly ate something he was allergic to and was taken immediately to the hospital. After an hour of the doctors trying to save his life, it was to no avail. Apollo told Phoenix he needed some time alone and that he should go to the office. Phoenix agreed and was on his way to the office. Phoenix was thinking of what would happen to the trial. _Well…looks like it's a cancelled trial. There is no defendant to try._ Phoenix sighed. _I hope Apollo will be able to get through this well._ The cab finally made it to the office. Phoenix paid the driver and went into the office. Trucy was the first one to greet him. "Hey daddy…where's Polly?"

"I don't know…a lot of things happened during today's trial, and he told me he wanted to be alone for a while."

"Oh…well, what happened?"

"…his client died."

"What!? How!?"

"He was given a croissant by someone during the trial. He was deathly allergic to berries and the croissant has a strawberry filling."

"Oh…poor Polly…"

Trucy looked down at her shoes and sighed. "Maybe I can look for him?"

Trucy dashed past Phoenix and out the door before Phoenix could protest. Phoenix sighed, _That girl is a lively one._ Phoenix set down his briefcase and walked into the living room, to see both Pearl and Maya asleep on the couch, presumably from watching too much Steel Samurai. Phoenix smiled. _At least some people are enjoying the day._ Phoenix walked past them into his office. Sitting down at his chair, Phoenix replayed the events of the day in his head. _I'm certain it was a murder. After all, it was widely known in the courtroom he was allergic to berries. _Phoenix tried to remember who gave him the croissant, but his memory failed him. Looking out the window of his office, he watched the rain slowly come down, as if crying for the death of Mr. Dugan. Phoenix stared at the quiet scene for a while. Phoenix closed his eyes, remembering the trial in which he was disbarred. His client, Zak Gramarye, disappeared during the trial, therefore cancelling it. _I hope Apollo takes this well. It didn't feel good having a trial cancelled…_Leaving his office, Phoenix walked back into the living room, this time, Maya was still there but Pearl was gone. Going into the kitchen, Phoenix saw Pearl pouring herself a glass of apple juice. Pearl lifted her head and saw Phoenix. "Mr. Nick, you're back!"

"Yeah…I'm back."

"Where's Apollo? I wanted to congratulate him on his victory."

"Pearl…the trial...didn't go Apollo's way."

"You mean he lost?"

"No…his client died."

Pearl gasped. "Mr. Nick! How did that happen?"

Phoenix re-told the story of what happened and that Apollo asked to be alone. He also told Pearl that Trucy was out looking for Apollo right now.

"Oh..."

Pearl looked down at the floor, obviously saddened by what happened to Apollo. Phoenix noticed this and changed the subject. "So, how did you and Maya spend your day?"

Pearl smiled. "Well…we spend most of the day watching tv. Well…at least I did."

Pearl again looked down. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well…Maya was talking to the employee from Mac's Burgers for about half the day today."

"…oh…did you hear anything interesting?"

"Um….they're…they're going on a date tomorrow…"

"What?! Where?"

"Mystic Maya said they're going to go see a movie and then go out for dinner."

"Oh…well, thanks for telling me Pearls."

"…no problem, Mr. Nick."

Phoenix smiled weakly and walked back to his office. As he passed the living room, he saw that Maya had changed positions on the couch, but still remained asleep.

Maya awoke to sounds coming from the kitchen. Lifting her head, she could clearly hear Phoenix's voice, along with Pearl's. Getting off the couch, she went to where she could clearly hear them, but they couldn't see her. Phoenix was telling Pearl about what had happened at the trial. Maya was shocked about what happened, but didn't reveal herself. When she was about to leave, she heard Phoenix ask how they spent their day. What Pearl told him pleased Maya. Her plan was going perfectly. When she started hearing Phoenix's footsteps, she rushed back to the couch and pretended like she was asleep.

_Something's up. Maya going on a date with a guy she barely knows? _Phoenix was shocked, confused, and saddened by the news. _I can't tell Maya…I just can't…if she knows I lied to her…_ Phoenix kicked himself mentally, thinking of the time he could have told Maya his true feelings…but instead lied to her. Phoenix again looked out the window. The rain was pouring down now. _I wonder how Trucy is doing finding Apollo…_

Jonathan was pacing back and forth in his house. The day he was given the poison to kill Maya, she disappeared, along with Phoenix and Trucy. He received a message from his brother saying that they needed to talk. Jonathan was waiting at the exact location the message told him to be. Finally, he heard his brother's voice from behind hm. "Jonathan, didn't expect that you'd come."

"That makes two of us."

"I came to inform you that Maya is staying in Phoenix's office, along with Trucy, Apollo and Pearl."

"Pearl? She escaped?"

"Sorta, we actually gave her to Phoenix."

"What?!"

"Don't act surprised. A lot has gone on, and her usefulness came to an end. Although the plan has been elongated…it's not dead. We've gone through a lot to keep the plan going, including killing a man named Douglas Dougan."

"Who's he?"

"A person who knew a lot about our plan. He was on trial for killing his fiancé, but he was going to tell everyone who our mother was…and what she was doing."

"You're an idiot, killing a person in the courthouse."

"How so? He was allergic to berries so I gave him a croissant…filled with a strawberry filling. I'm sure he didn't feel too much pain. Besides, he ate almost all the evidence and there are no security cameras in the courtrooms…it's the perfect crime."

Jonathan looked at his brother. "So, why did you call me here?"

"To say that you're needed again. You see, someone has been telling Phoenix about our plans. I don't know how or who is telling him, but Phoenix has been eluding us this entire time. The only reason we can think of is that someone is tipping him off."

"So you want me to find out who's doing it?"

"You catch on quite quickly."

Jonathan sighed, "…fine, I'll find whoever is tipping off Phoenix."

"Thanks, brother."

"…you're not welcome."

Phoenix was in the dining room, eating, when he heard the door to the office open. Looking, he saw Apollo and Trucy walk in. Apollo saw Phoenix and walked up to him.

"So, finally back Apollo?"

"Yeah…Trucy found me and managed to talk me into coming back here."

"That's good. Don't worry, Apollo, this won't happen at every trial."

"I know…"

Apollo walked off. Phoenix turned back to his burger and continued to eat, until he heard his phone buzz. Looking at it, he could tell it was from Max. "Sweetie, I won't be able to help you from now on. They're trying to figure out who is giving you information about their plans. However, be warned. They're not done yet. They'll try to kill Maya within the week. Keep a close eye on her."

Phoenix sighed. _So much from getting help from the outside. However, how are they going to try to kill Maya?_ Phoenix shook his head and finished his burger. (It seems that's all they eat)

Lloyd Grescham was sitting on his couch, eating a (you guessed it) burger. He was watching tv when he heard a creek by the door. Looking, he saw no one. Shrugging his shoulders, Lloyd went back to watching tv. Nothing else was on, so Lloyd went to watch the news. The news was covering about a death during a trial. Intrigued, Lloyd carefully listened. However, he didn't notice the shadow behind him.

Phoenix woke up from the couch in the living room. His head was throbbing, probably because he awoke with his head over the side of the couch. Sitting up, he heard some noise in the kitchen. Phoenix got up and went into the kitchen, to see Jonathan standing right in front of him.

"Jonathan!"

Jonathan turned around. "Mr. Wright, good to see you again."

"How the hell did you get in the building?"

"Picked the lock, besides, you shouldn't be yelling at me because—"

"Why shouldn't I? You were about to kill Maya!"

"You wouldn't let me finish. You shouldn't be yelling at me because I've come here to help you."

"And why would you do that?"

"Because I hate being blackmailed. Yes, I killed someone near Blue Mountain. Yes, I hid the body, but that was a mistake I deeply regret. My brother…he's been making me do these things that I've never wanted to do. I loved Maya…still do, however, my brother had different plans for my life."

"Why should I just blindly let you back in here when you were going to kill Maya?"

"You'll just have to trust me. Besides, here's the Potassium Cyanide that was given to me by my brother." Jonathan reached into his pocket and tossed Phoenix the bottle. Seeing that it had never been opened, Phoenix pocketed it.

"What do you want, Jonathan?"

"To tell you that the rest of my family…is planning something…big. My mother, she's in cahoots with who was supposed to be the master several years ago. She believes that it is for the good of Kurain Village that Maya be killed. However, I don't see it that way. My brother also killed Douglas Dougan."

"Wait…he's the one who gave him the croissant?"

"Yep, however, you have no way of proving it. That's just the first part. Whoever is involved in Maya's life is closely watched…including her new boyfriend of hers."

"You know about him?"

"Of course, after all, I was at his house last night. I was ordered by my brother to install cameras in his house."

"How did you do that?"

"Stealth. Sneaked up behind him and hit him hard on the back of his head. He was out cold, giving me plenty of time to install the cameras."

"So, they're keeping track of Lloyd?"

"Yep, however, he's not in any danger as of now. He doesn't know about our plan. Douglas, on the other hand, knew more than he should have."

"He knew about what you guys were doing?"

"Yeah, we still don't know how, but he kept telling us that he knew what we were doing and that he'd tell you."

"That's must be why he was so nervous. He was nervous about you guys."

"Probably, anyhow, I better get out of here before I'm missed. I still have to play my part in their plan…for now. I'll let you know if there is a change of plans or anything."

As Jonathan turned to leave, he looked back. "By the way, I never would have used the poison. I was going to warn Maya to leave."

With that, Jonathan left the building. Phoenix stared at the door, unsure what to do next. _Jonathan is supposed to be the bad guy…but why is he helping me? Does he seriously love Maya?_ Phoenix shook his head as he looked at the clock. _Wow, only six thirty. I can still get some sleep._ Getting back on the couch, Phoenix laid down and tried to relax, but his visit with Jonathan kept replaying in his head. _Better not tell Maya, she'll freak if she knew about Jonathan being here._ Trying to get more comfortable, Phoenix finally drifted back to sleep, only to be disturbed thirty minutes later by Pearl making noise in the kitchen. Getting up, he saw Pearl trying to make breakfast for everyone, but failing miserably. "Need any help Pearls?"

Pearl turned around. "Mr. Nick! I thought you were asleep."

"I was, until I heard you in here."

"Sorry about that ."

Phoenix laughed. "It's okay Pearl, now, let's restart this."

Phoenix and Pearl made pancakes and eggs for everyone. When everything was ready, Pearl went through the whole building getting everyone up. As everyone was eating, Phoenix had a gut feeling that today would be just as chaotic as the two previous days.

There, over two thousand words for a chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review and also don't forget to vote on the poll. Also, to the guest reviewer, I was also thinking of that song as I wrote the ending last chapter.


	27. Chapter 27

Was watching the super bowl, but it turned into a slaughter-fest so I decided to write another chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Phoenix was cleaning up after breakfast when Pearl came into the kitchen to help him, or so he thought.

"Mr. Nick, are you seriously going to let Mystic Maya date that guy tonight?"

"What choice do I have Pearls? I can't control her life."

"But…she's supposed to be with you, not to this Lloyd person."

Phoenix chuckled. "That's not my call. If that's really the case, it'll happen eventually. Until then…"

_Until then what?_

"Come on Mr. Nick! You can't just let someone steal Mystic Maya's heart from you!"

Phoenix was starting to get a little worried. Pearl was starting to become quite loud. "Pearls, can you keep it down, you're starting to get quite loud."

"Hmph."

Phoenix sighed and went back to washing the dishes. "So that it? You're just gonna give up?"

"There's nothing to give up to. She has a right to her own choice, and her choice isn't me."

Pearl was going to respond, but thought against it. Finally, defeated, she left the kitchen mumbling, "This isn't the Mr. Nick I know…"

Phoenix heard it and sighed. _What can I possibly do? I already lied to her…it's a hopeless situation…_

After a few minutes, Phoenix finished the dishes and went to the living room. Seeing that no one was there, Phoenix turned on the tv and watched the morning news. Thinking back to the earlier encounter with Jonathan, Phoenix wondered what Jonathan was talking about when he said that his family was planning something big. After the morning news, Phoenix turned off the tv and went to go take a shower. Putting his clothes in the hamper, (yes I still remember the potassium cyanide is in there) and went to take a shower. After taking a relaxing shower, Phoenix dried himself, put on new clothes, and went to his office. His office was a bit large considering he just got back to his job as a defense attorney. Feeling bored, Phoenix decided to peruse his old case files. Finally reaching the near end of the stack, Phoenix took a look at the case before he was disbarred. It was the first case in which Maya wasn't there. He had to defend his client for murder. He got him off the hook, but he was accused of stalking, in which he was found guilty of. _That's it! That's how I can still stay in the fight!_

Maya was choosing which outfit to take. She was going out on a date with Lloyd later in the day and wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Her plan was going as predicted. She overheard Pearl's conversation with Phoenix in the kitchen. Pearl was falling for it, as was Phoenix. Finally deciding which outfit to take, Maya set it out on the bed and went to the living room. Not in the mood for watching another Pick Princess episode, Maya decided to do something constructive. The first thing that came to mind was to do laundry. Picking up every piece of laundry she could see, she gathered them up into separate piles. She finally went into the spare bathroom and emptied the contents of the hamper onto the ground. Fishing through the pockets of Phoenix's clothes, she felt a bottle of some kind. Taking it out, she saw it was a powder. Looking at it, Maya decided it was a special salt Phoenix bought and placed it in the kitchen. Maya put the first load in the washing machine and went to the living room. Taking out a magazine, Maya became engrossed in her reading.

_Ok, what should I wear?_ Phoenix selected an outfit he'd rarely worn and figured it would be perfect. Hiding the outfit in a drawer in his office, Phoenix went back to perusing case files. After a few minutes, Pearl came in. "Mr. Nick, I'm sorry I got angry at you. It was totally childish of me."

"It's okay Pearls. Besides, it got me thinking."

"About what?"

"How to fight over Maya. You see, I was perusing old case files, and I came upon the case right before my disbarment. My client was innocent of murder, but guilty of stalking…on an excessive scale. However, one thing he did was perfectly legal, he followed his ex-girlfriend on her dates."

"Wait…you don't mean…"

"Yes, I do. I'm going to tag along with Maya. Besides, if I get caught, I have the perfect excuse."

"And that is?"

"I was worried that the people trying to kill her would strike while I was gone. She couldn't deny the possibility of that, so that means she couldn't be mad at me."

"That…might actually work."

"It will. I'm wearing an outfit Maya has never seen me in and will change my hair to the same haircut when I was a little kid, before third grade."

Pearl giggled. "Mr. Nick, I've seen pictures of that haircut. Believe me, you'll stand out."

"….I thought it looked good back then…"

"Well…I wouldn't use that hair-do if I were you. Just wear a different beanie."

"That would be too obvious…wait…there is one way…"

"What's that?"

Maya looked at the time. _Woah, time sure flew by. Gotta get ready._ May went into the bedroom, took her outfit to the bathroom, and changed. After Maya came out of the bathroom, she saw Pearl walking into the living room. "Hey, Pearly, how do I look?"

"Wow! You look great Mystic Maya!"

"Thanks Pearly, hey, why do you have a pink magician's hat in your hand?"

"Uh….for…a magic trick, yeah. I'm training to be a magician with Trucy right now."

"Oh, well, I hope that goes well for you."

"Thanks."

Pearl went to the living room and into Phoenix's office, to see him in his outfit.

"Ah, I see you got the hat…"

"I still don't know about this, Mr. Nick. After all, you'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"I'll wear it during the movie, but during dinner, I'll take it off. My hair would have been flattened."

"Ah…I see."

"Has Maya left yet?"

"No, but she's about to."

"Ok, let me know when she leaves."

Pearl shook her head as she headed off. Phoenix made one last look to make sure he didn't look like himself and was pleased with his outfit.

Lloyd made sure everything he was wearing was perfect. He had a low income so he didn't have very many good clothes, but he chose the best ones he had. Looking at the clock, he noticed he was a couple minutes late. Checking his hair one last time, he grabbed his jacket and went to his car.

Maya was waiting outside for Lloyd until he finally showed up, two minutes late.

"Sorry I'm late, there was heavy traffic."

"It's okay. Glad you mad it though."

Maya got in Lloyd's car and took off, while Pearl watched from the window. "Mr. Nick! She left!"

"Thanks Pearl!" Phoenix was about to dash out the door when he heard Trucy yell, "Daddy! Where's my pink hat?"

"Uh…I don't know."

"Okay, let me know if you find it!"

Phoenix looked at Pearl. "Have Apollo look for it."

Pearl shook her head. Phoenix gave her one quick wave, then headed out the door.

Well…this chapter was interrupted in when the super bowl actually became a game again. Congrats Ravens fans. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.


	28. Chapter 28

Okay, time for the next chapter. Started a new poll (I know you guys are getting annoyed at the poll announcements.) The question is whether you want me to do short, daily updates or long, weekly updates. Both have its advantages. Please vote. Until there are enough people who voted, I'll continue doing short, daily updates.

Phoenix was sitting in the back of the movie theater. Before, Phoenix had to get a cab and tell him to follow the car ahead of them. The cab driver gave Phoenix a look before complying. Phoenix smirked remembering the cab drivers even stranger look when he told him to stay until he comes out. Now, Phoenix had to force himself to keep awake as the steel samurai movie played. _I can't believe that they actually made a movie of that show. Well…at least Will Powers is playing as the Steel Samurai._ After what seemed like an eternity, the movie ended. Getting up just as the credits were starting to appear, Phoenix dashed out of the movie theater, avoiding glares of the people he pushed out of the way. Finally making it back to the cab, the driver looked at Phoenix. "Just wait until they come out. Wait a few seconds, then follow them."

"Whatever you say, as long as I get paid." After a couple minutes, Maya and Lloyd came out of the movie theater. Getting into Lloyd's car, they took off to go eat. While the taxi cab was following them, Phoenix took off Trucy's pink hat. Looking into his reflection in the window, he noticed his hair was flat, as he wanted it. _Guess all those years of wearing a beanie helped me after all._ "So why exactly are we following them?"

"Just because."

"Seriously? That's your answer?"

"What else should I say?"

"…good point."

After about ten minutes of awkward silence, Phoenix and the cab driver saw them pull into the parking lot of Green Lobster. (Hey, some lobsters are green.) Thanking the cab driver, Phoenix asked him if he could stay just until they were done eating. Then, after that, he could take him home. The cab driver nodded his head. Phoenix entered the restaurant. Lloyd and Maya had already been seated and Phoenix told the employee that greeted him that he was alone. She took him to a spot, luckily for Phoenix, that gave him a view of Maya and Lloyd. Looking over the menu, Phoenix had a hard time picking.

"POLLY! When are we gonna eat!?"

Apollo looked at Trucy. Well…do you guys want to go out to get some burgers?"

"No…we've had them a lot recently…how bout we go to Eldoon's noodles? Besides, I promised him I would bring some salt to him next time I came to make is next batch even saltier."

"Oh…I guess it wouldn't hurt…ok, get the salt and we'll be ready to leave in a couple minutes."

"Thanks Polly!" Apollo went to go get Pearls while Trucy rushed into the kitchen. Taking the first bottle she could see, Trucy put it in her pocket and waited for Apollo and Pearl to come to the door. (Guess which bottle she took…) Finally, Apollo appeared with Pearl and they headed toward Eldoon's Noodles. Mr. Eldoon was happy to see them when they arrived. "Well, if it isn't Trucy-doll and her lawyer friend. And who is this with you guys?"

"Hi…I'm Pearl…Pearl Fey." Trucy thought that Pearl sounded nervous. _Well…she didn't meet too many new people in Kurain Village…so she must be new to this._

"Oh, Mr. Eldoon, I brought you some salt I promised you before!" Trucy took out the bottle of Potassium Cyanide and gave it to Mr. Eldoon.

"Why…thank you Trucy. Next batch I make will be even saltier. Now, why don't you try some of my noodles now, and to show my thanks for the salt, I'll make two of your three bowls free."

Apollo smiled. "Thanks Mr. Eldoon. My wallet appreciates it."

_My wallet hates me._ Phoenix bought the cheapest thing on the menu. Although he had unlimited biscuits, the meal is costing him a fortune. Phoenix then looked at Maya's table and saw her laughing to something Lloyd had said. Phoenix formed a scowl on his face. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice behind him. "So, after seven years, all you do is ignore me Wright?"

Phoenix turned and saw Miles Edgeworth behind him. "Oh, sorry Edgeworth. Didn't see you there."

"May I sit down?"

"Of course."

Miles sat down and sighed. "So, what have you been doing since I last saw you?"

Phoenix told Edgeworth the story of him being disbarred and how he met Apollo. With Apollo's help, he had managed to get his name cleared of forging evidence and managed to get his badge back. Then, he proceeded to tell Edgeworth about the current situation with Jonathan and his family.

"Hmmm…sounds like you've been up to a lot recently."

"Yeah, I have. So, what have you been up to?"

Edgeworth told him about his travels, how he was suspected of being a murderer on an airplane, (I'm on the third case on that game so don't spoil anything for me) how he managed to find a killer who killed a detective in his office, and how he worked with Interpol.

"You're life has been a lot more exciting than mine, that's for sure."

"It has Wright. So, have you been in any cases since you've gotten your badge back?"

"I was involved in one. I defended Jonathan from murder."

"Did you win?"

"Sadly…yes. However, if I had gotten him convicted, like I was thinking, none of this would have happened."

"Wait…what do you mean by what you were thinking? I've never known you to plot against your own client…unless you count the Engarde trial."

"Uh…well…this was a special circumstance…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…he was Maya's fiancée."

"What!? He was?" Edgeworth furrowed his brow. "Still, that doesn't answer the question why you did…unless…"

"Unless what?"

"It's just a theory…but do you…love Maya?"

Phoenix turned redder than the lobster that was being brought to him. Phoenix thanked the waitress then returned to Edgeworth. "Uh…well…"

"Wright…I can tell when you lie, so you better tell me the truth."

"…yes…I do love her. However, she doesn't feel the same way."

"Why do you say that?"

Phoenix looked at the table Maya and Lloyd were at. Maya had taken a bit of Lloyd's food and he was playfully arguing with Maya. "Ah…so that's why you're here. You've become a stalker Wright. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Hey, wait a minute! I'm not a stalker, I'm just following her on a date…that's it."

"That counts as being a stalker to me." A waitress came up to Edgeworth and asked if he wanted anything. Edgeworth ordered what Wright had then proceeded to ask Wright. "So, does Maya know you're following her?"

Phoenix looked at Edgeworth. "Seriously? Like I would go tell Maya, "Hey, I'm following you on your date. Just don't mind me."

Edgeworth chuckled. "Well, you wouldn't." Edgeworth stood up. "But I would."

"Don't you dare Edgeworth!"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because…because it would ruin any chance I had with her."

"Which is exactly why I'm asking, why are you still here?"

"Well…let me finish my food first, then I'll leave."

"Fair enough."

Edgeworth sat back down as they talked about other matters. Finally, Phoenix finished his lobster. "Well, Edgeworth. I finished my lobster so I'm going. It's been nice talking to you."

"You too, Wright. Remember, I'm back in town for good now. Just give my office a call if you need anything."

"Thanks Edgeworth." With that, Phoenix left the restaurant, without Maya watching his every move. She had seen him at the table, just like she planned he would. However, she didn't expect to see Edgeworth there.

The cab driver was snoozing when Phoenix tapped on the window for him to unlock the doors. "Oh, so you're finally out?"

"Sorry, took longer than I thought."

Phoenix told the cab driver where to go. When the cab drove up, Phoenix was afraid his wallet was going to kill him, which it almost did.

"That's going to be three hundred and six dollars."

Tearfully, Phoenix paid the cab driver. Walking into his office, Phoenix had a feeling something was going to go horribly wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Yes, Edgeworth will be here in other chapters. As I said, still in case three of Ace Attorney Investigations so don't give me any spoilers. Don't forget to review.


	29. Chapter 29

I was tempted not to write a chapter tonight, but I decided I would do one. Enjoy. *Character death in this chapter (No one major though)*

Phoenix was lying on the couch when he heard the entrance door open. Looking over, he saw Maya come in. "Hey Maya, how was your date?"

"It was pretty good…except a certain attorney was spying on me."

"What?"

"Don't try to fool me Nick, I knew it was you. I even saw Edgeworth at Green Lobster. That confirmed my suspicions."

"Uh…"

"Mystic Maya! You're back!"

Pearl came rushing into the living room. "So, how was your date with Lloyd?"

"I don't know, ask Nick."

Phoenix felt Pearl's fierce gaze burn into his skin. "Mr. Nick! How could you let her catch you!?"

"Wait…you knew about this Pearly?"

"Yep, I even helped him plan it."

"Uh…Pearls…that's not something you want to admit in front of Maya."

"Hmph." Pearl took off, leaving just Nick and Maya. "So, why did you tag along?"

_This is it Wright…time to tell the truth…_

"I tagged along because…because…I...was worried about you." _Dammit Wright! Why must you do this to yourself?_

"Why were you worried about me?"

_Okay, redemption time, one more chance._

"I was worried because…"

_Don't chicken out…you can do this!_

"…because…I was worried you could have been killed." _Come on, why brain why!?_

"Killed?"

"Yes…you see…I had a chat with Jonathan this morning."

"What!? You talked to Jonathan?!"

_You're in for it now._ "Yeah, he was in the office this morning. He told me that they were looking for the mysterious texter, and that his family was planning something. He didn't tell me what, but he did tell me to keep an eye on you. So that's what I did." _At least you told a half-truth there._

Maya's color drained from her face. "Did he say anything else?"

"No, but he did give me the bottle of potassium cyanide that was given to him by his brother."

Maya gasped. "Wait…so that wasn't a special salt?"

"Huh?"

"I did laundry this morning, and I found a bottle filled with what I thought was salt in your pocket."

"Where did you put it?!"

"In the kitchen."

Phoenix jumped up and went to the kitchen, with Maya trailing him. As soon as they got there, Maya gasped again. "The bottle…it's not where I left it!"

"PEARL! TRUCY! APOLLO!"

Within seconds, they all were in the kitchen.

"What's wrong daddy?"

"Trucy, do you know where a bottle went?"

"A bottle of what?"

"There was a bottle right here, and now it's gone. Do you know where it is?"

"Oh, that bottle. Yeah, I know where it is. I gave it to Mr. Eldoon. I owed him some salt so I repaid it with that salt."

"That wasn't salt Trucy! That was poison!"

"What?! Poison?"

"No time to explain! We need to get to Mr. Eldoon!"

Phoenix quickly slipped on his shoes and charged out of the office, followed by everyone else. Within minutes, they were at the place Mr. Eldoon was…along with police officers everywhere.

"No…we were too late…"

Phoenix slowly walked to the crime scene tape. Looking over, he saw two bodies on the ground…along with Mr. Eldoon's body. "No…"

"Pal! What are you doing here!?"

Phoenix looked up and saw Detective Gumshoe jogging up toward him. "We have a crime to examine! No need for a lawyer to be around here!"

"Sheesh, Gumshoe, calm down!"

"How can I calm down now that my favorite noodle place is no longer in business!?"

"Wait…you were a regular here?"

"Sure was, saltiest noodles in town. In this case, too much salt."

"…that wasn't salt."

"What do you mean?"

Phoenix gave the story about what had happened recently. "You mean…that the cause of death was…potassium cyanide?"

"Yep. The real culprit is the person who gave Jonathan the poison. If he hadn't, none of this would have happened."

"That's true…dammit. I just want to execute the people behind all of this right now!"

"Calm down Gumshoe. After all, what would Maggey think of your behavior right now?"

"Oh…yeah…my wife wouldn't like this, would she?"

"Wife? Oh, you married her Gumshoe?"

Gumshoe grinned at Phoenix. "Yep, four years ago. We even have a little daughter named Jessica."

"Ah…congratulations."

"Thanks, and thank you for making our investigation a lot easier. Believe me, Pal, we'll find those creeps, even if it's the last thing I do."

"It's just noodles, Detective."

Gumshoe snorted and took off. Phoenix turned back and saw Trucy, crying, while Apollo, Maya, and Pearl were trying to comfort her. Phoenix walked up to her. "Daddy…will I be arrested?"

"No. I told Detective Gumshoe everything that happened. You won't be arrested for anything. In fact, they'll be looking for Jonathan's brother, since he was the one who started the chain reaction."

Phoenix saw relief flash through Trucy's eyes, but she still kept crying. "Trucy…it's not your fault. I should have been more careful where I put the bottle. I was careless. I'm sorry."

"…no need to apologize Daddy."

Phoenix shook his head and hugged Trucy.

Apollo looked back at the noodle stand. That stand represented his first case when he started working for Mr. Wright. It was a shame to see that the Eldoon noodle legacy come to a quick and bitter end. Just seeing Mr. Eldoon's body on the ground sent shivers up his spine. _Rest in peace…Mr. Eldoon._

"Come on, let's go back to the office." Phoenix stood, supporting Trucy as she stood up, and slowly walked back to the office.

Later that night, when Phoenix was finally able to get Trucy to go to sleep, Phoenix was on the couch, watching tv. Suddenly, the entrance door opened slowly. Looking over, Phoenix could make out in the darkness that it was Jonathan.

"Mr. Wright, I see you didn't keep a good eye on the potassium cyanide."

"I know…I screwed up."

"Yes, yes you did…but it turned out to be a good thing."

"What do you mean?"

"The police are after my brother. He has a warrant for his arrest. When he gets caught, he'll be charged with possession of a deadly substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter. The good news, they can't be so open about killing Maya. The bad news, they're even angrier than usual, which means they'll make their move soon."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I can't watch Maya the whole time."

"Don't worry. You'll figure out what to do. I gotta get going. I'm needed to plan out the next move. I'll let you know when we're gonna make our move."

"Wait…before you go…you aren't going to kill anyone to keep your cover…right?"

"…I'm not sure. We'll see, won't we?"

With that, Jonathan left.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry, but someone had to die from the potassium cyanide. Also, there is good news. My English college class was cancelled tomorrow so I'll be able to write a longer chapter tomorrow than what I had planned. Thanks again for reading. Don't forget to review and to vote on the polls. I'll be closing the sequel poll tomorrow so you better vote now.


	30. Chapter 30

Well, time to do the next chapter. Oh, and I closed the sequel poll and the majority of the 4 votes said yes…so I'll be doing a sequel after this. And…I've reached 5,000 views. I'll do a long chapter tomorrow (today now) to celebrate it.

Phoenix was lying on the couch, his mind filled with thoughts. He couldn't believe that Mr. Eldoon was dead. He had been a regular there for as long as he could remember. _I should have kept a better eye on the bottle…I should have…_Phoenix stared at the ceiling, who seemed to mock him. _I do feel sorry for Trucy…she was the one who actually gave him the bottle. I only didn't keep an eye on it._ Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. _Wait…Gumshoe was surprised that the potassium cyanide was the cause of death…why was he? Ah, probably didn't know what was in the bottle._ Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the knocking of the door. Getting up slowly, Phoenix trudged his way to the door and opened it, to be greeted by Gumshoe. "Hey pal, just wanted to see how you guys were doing."

"We've been better, especially Trucy. She's taken it hard, and I don't blame her. I would feel terrible if I were in her shoes."

"Yeah, anyways, I just wanted to let you know that we have a warrant out for Jonathan's brother, Lester."

"Ah, so that's his name. I've been wondering about it for a while." (Including me. Only now thought of the name.)

"Yep, well…gotta go oversee the rest of the crime scene. I'll swing by later, ok pal?"

"Sure…good luck catching the bastard."

Gumshoe shook his head and took off. Phoenix sighed and went back to the couch, sleep finally coming to him. When he awoke, there was a piercing light coming into his eyes. "Ow!" Shooting his head up, he smacked right into Pearl. "Ow, Mr. Nick!"

"Pearls…what are you doing?"

"Getting you up, it's already ten thirty and I want to watch tv."

"Oh…sorry." Phoenix stood up and rubbed his eyes. Walking into his office, he saw Maya sitting on the chair, looking at his old case files. "What are you doing Maya?"

"Oh, just got curious about the two cases you did without me, so I decided to take a look."

"You can't just go barging into someone's office and look at their files, even if you're their assistant."

"Still, your previous client, Zak, managed to escape the courtroom. Did they ever find him?"

"…sorta."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…Apollo's first case was defending me…and I was accused of murdering a man named Shadi Smith…aka, Zak Gramarye."

"What? He was killed?"

"Yep."

Maya turned around in the chair. "So, you always seem to get the crazies as clients."

"Well…I wouldn't say that if I were you…after all, I defended you twice."

"Hey, are you calling me crazy?"

"Who? Me? Naw…well…yeah, actually I am."

Maya started turning red while Phoenix grinned. Knowing he would be in trouble, he ran for the bathroom and locked the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, Phoenix took a shower and relaxed.

Finally, after getting dressed, Phoenix opened the door, only to get a smack from Maya. "Ow, Maya!"

"That's what you get for calling me crazy!"

"You waited all this time in front of the door…just to smack me?"

"Yep!"

"Mr. Nick! Come here, the Pink Princess is on!"

_What's worse…getting grilled by Maya…or watching the Pink Princess…_

"Coming Pearls!" Phoenix ran to the living room, leaving Maya where she was.

Phoenix sat down on the couch, where Pearl was already engrossed in the Pink Princess. _Ah, finally, a break from getting grilled._

"Don't think you're getting away with this so easily!" Phoenix turned to see Maya in front of the entrance to the living room. _Ugh…here we go again._

Phoenix's arms felt like jelly. "Maya…how many outfits do you have to buy!?"

"As many as I need to make your wallet hurt."

Phoenix sighed. His "punishment" for calling Maya crazy is to go clothes shopping with her. Pearl loved the idea and said that she'll take good care of Apollo and Trucy. "My wallet is already hurting, along with my arms…can we go now?!"

"Nick! You're acting like a little kid right now!"

Phoenix shook his head. After walking through almost every clothes store in the mall, Maya finally decided to call it quits. When Phoenix received the total bill, he tearfully paid the cashier. "Okay, Maya. I faced my punishment, now from now on, don't expect me to pay for your burgers again!"

"Aww…don't be such a fuddy duddy."

"Well…Sweetie, that's what he always is!"

Phoenix turned and saw Max standing behind him. "Max, what are you doing here? I thought you were in hiding?"

"I am…sort of. You see, Sweetie, I've received some info you might need to know."

"And what would that be?"

When Max told Phoenix what the news was, he couldn't believe it. "Wait…so Mr. Eldoon didn't put the potassium cyanide in the soup?"

"No, he was deliberately poisoned, along with the two people who were with him."

"Well…who did it?"

"None other than…Jonathan himself."

"WHAAT!?"

"Don't act so surprised. I know you've been talking to him. Has he changed…partially, but he's still a killer."

"So…should I tell the police about this?"

"Not if you want to lose the person who's giving you info from the inside. Just don't trust him completely, Sweetie."

"Um…Nick…did you talk to Jonathan again!?"

"Uh…he…may have dropped by last night…"

"…well…guess it's time for another form of shopping…I think I really need to get some more shoes. What do you say Max?"

"I say that is a FABULOUS idea! Run along Sweetie!"

Maya shook her head as she dragged Phoenix away.

Phoenix was sitting on a bench in the shoe store. Maya happily choosing whatever shoes she wanted. Phoenix could already tell he'd need to go get a loan in order to pay for her shopping spree. _Ugh…better get another court case soon…need to get paid._ Finally, Maya stopped and went to the cash registar. _Looks like my cue to leave_. Phoenix went to the register and as the cashier kept ringing up the shoes, Phoenix tried to hold back tears. As they were flagging down a cab, Maya jokingly said, "That was great! Let's do it again tomorrow!"

"How bout no?"

Maya smirked and finally waved down a cab. After making it back to the office, Phoenix carried the bags to her room. After leaving her room, Phoenix ran straight to Apollo.

"Apollo, have any cases that I can take over?"

"Huh?"

"Maya just drained me out of money. Unless you want to eat, I suggest you give me a case!"

"Sorry, Mr. Wright, I only have one case."

"Ugh…"

"Mr. Nick! I can't believe you actually paid for all of Mystic Maya's clothes."

"Don't forget about the shoes."

"Well…did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"Come on Mr. Nick! When are you gonna tell her she's your special someone!?"

"Pearls, keep it down, and probably not for a long time."

"Aww…so much for the wedding Trucy and I were preparing…"

Pearl walked away, sadly shaking her head.

And that does it for this chapter. I know, I know, not my best chapter ever, but it still works. Besides, I didn't start working on this until 11 last night, so I had to quit to go to sleep. Don't worry, I'll get a big chapter up later today. Don't forget to review.


	31. Chapter 31

Time for the next chapter. Also, I have started a new fanfic called, "The Case of the Missing Boy." Not the best title, but it describes the story. It happens during this story is so expect me to put some of this story in there. Lloyd is already in it.

Phoenix was walking outside the office. He had just spent most of his money as "punishment" for calling Maya crazy and was now wondering if he would get a case soon. However, Phoenix had other things on his mind as well. One such thing, was Mr. Eldoon. Of course, he didn't kill him, but he felt responsible for his death. _If only I kept a better eye on the bottle, he would still be here today._ After thinking about his failure, his mind flashed back to the time he first tried Eldoon's noodles all those years ago. It was Guy Eldoon's father who originally was working the cart. After a case, Maya and Phoenix were hungry. However, they were far away from any fast-food joint, so they decided to try some of the noodles. To make a long story short, they were hooked on the noodles. _Now who is gonna run the noodle stand?_ Phoenix sighed and kept on walking, finally reaching People Park. It looked so lonely during the night. He had heard that a kidnapping had occurred here, but he didn't know the details about it. (yeah…forgot to mention that I may put some of the other story in here too.)

Walking through, Phoenix thought of the conversation with Pearl earlier that day. She obviously wanted him and Maya to get together, but so far, that wasn't working out. Finally deciding it was starting to get too cold out, Phoenix went back to his office. Nearing the entrance, he noticed that Lloyd's car was parked near the building. Entering the office, he saw Lloyd in a conversation with Maya. Walking past them, Phoenix went into the living room where Trucy, Apollo, and Pearl were watching tv. Sitting down on the couch, Phoenix joined them in watching the Saber Samurai. (no, that was not in the games, just out of the top of my head.)

Finally, after about twenty minutes, Phoenix heard the door to the entrance of the office open and close. A few seconds later, Maya appeared in the living room. "So, what were you and Lloyd talking about?"

"Oh, just planning our next date."

"Oh, and where are you guys gonna do for your date?"

"Naturally, we're gonna go to Gatewaterland!"

"Oh, sounds like fun."

"It will be, especially since I KNOW a certain attorney won't be following me, right?"

"Heh, no guarantees." Phoenix grinned at Maya.

"You better not tag along. Otherwise…we'll go on another shopping trip."

Phoenix gulped. There was no way Phoenix could afford another one. "Fine, I promise Maya."

Satisfied, Maya turned around and walked out. "Mr. Nick! How can you keep track of Mystic Maya if you can't follow her?"

"I said I wouldn't tag along." Phoenix looked at Apollo. "But I know someone who hasn't promised."

"What!? I am NOT gonna do that!?"

Trucy looked up at Apollo. "Please Polly? I want a new mommy!"

"But…but…won't she notice me?"

"Not if we change your look."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Pearl and Trucy giggled as they turned back to the tv.

After the new episode of the Saber Samurai ended, everyone went off to bed. The next morning, Phoenix awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. Getting up, Phoenix picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this the Wright Anything Agency?"

"Yes it is."

"Good, I need a lawyer."

"For what?"

"You see, I've been accused of murder, but I didn't do it."

"Okay, what's your name?"

"My name is Stacy Cluman."

"Okay, Stacy, I'll be over to the detention center soon to hear your story."

"Thanks Mr. Wright."

"No problem."

Phoenix hung up the phone and got dressed for meeting his new client. _At least I have a client again. _After eating a quick breakfast, Phoenix quickly wrote a note telling where he was and left the office. After waving down a taxi, Phoenix told the taxi driver where to go.

"So, how did your potential girlfriend like you following her?"

"Huh?" After a closer look, Phoenix noticed it was the same cab driver that drove him around when he followed Maya.

"Oh, well…let's just say I don't have a lot of money anymore."

The driver laughed. For the rest of the trip, they were silent. "Thanks for driving me here."

"No problem. Since you have money trouble right now, I'll cut your fee in half."

Phoenix smiled and handed the driver the money. Walking in, Phoenix requested that he see his client Stacy Cluman. The guard told him to wait a minute. After a little bit, Phoenix was ushered into a room, where a blonde haired lady sat across the window. Sitting on a chair, Phoenix picked up the phone to talk to her. "Hello Ms. Cluman. I'm Phoenix Wright, attorney at law."

"Thanks for coming, Mr. Wright."

"So you're being accused of murder?"

"Yeah, they said that I shot the guy multiple times, but I wasn't even near the area at the time."

"Where were you?"

"At the bar on third street. I was with three of my co-workers from work."

"Did they verify your story?"

"Yeah, they did, but the police ignored them, saying they have solid evidence against me."

"Oh? Do you know what it is?"

"Not a clue. They weren't exactly talkative."

"…okay, I'll take your case."

A look of relief came upon Stacy's face. "Thank you Mr. Wright!"

"No problem, I'll be out to investigate right away. Do you know where the murder occurred?"

"Somewhere near Eighth Street. The police should be there right now."

Phoenix nodded and hung up the phone. After leaving the detention center, Phoenix flagged down a different taxi and went to Eighth Street. Seeing police cars in the area, Phoenix told the driver to stop, paid him, and went to the crime scene. There, he saw Ema Skye leading the investigation.

"Oh, hey Mr. Wright!"

"Hi Ema. You're in charge of the investigation?"

"Sure am. I was forced to take a break from my two cases I'm working on." (heh, the joy of having two fanfics going at one time.)

"Oh, well…sorry about that."

"It's okay, anyways, why are you here?"

"I'll be representing Stacy Cluman in court. I'm here to investigate what happened."

"Oh, well…good luck proving her innocent."

"Why do you say that?"

"We have a witness that saw her commit the killings."

"A witness? Who?"

"Can't tell ya. Orders from the fop himself."

"Wait…Klavier is leading the prosecution?"

"Yep. As I said, good luck proving him innocent."

"Thanks. May I look around?"

"Help yourself."

Phoenix looked around the crime scene. It was behind a bail bond near a dumpster. He could see seven bullet casings on the ground. Writing down the note of what he saw, Phoenix turned and looked in the dumpster, to see if there were any clues in there. Sadly, there weren't. Turning back to Ema, Phoenix asked, "Did the coroner already do an autopsy?"

"Yep, here it is."

Ema handed Phoenix a file. Looking inside, Phoenix read the contents of the autopsy report. "Heart, lungs, and stomach penetrated by a total of six bullets. Death was instantaneous."

Looking back up, Phoenix took a picture of the crime scene, thanked Ema for allowing him on the crime scene, and flagged down anther taxi. After returning to his office, Phoenix went to his office. Everyone must have been still asleep or in some other part of the office, because Phoenix didn't hear them. Taking out a pen, Phoenix went over the paperwork for the trial. After a few minutes, Trucy came into his office. "Hey Daddy, read your note, got another case?"

"Yes I do. The first part of the trial starts tomorrow."

"So what's the case about?"

"Stacy Cluman, my client, has been accused of murdering someone outside of Joe's Bail Bonds. She says she was at a bar at the time of the murder, so she couldn't be the killer. Also, she has three people backing up her story."

"Sounds like a shut case to me."

"Not necessarily. There was a witness who saw her kill him, so it could be difficult proving her innocent."

"Hmm…I know you can do it Daddy."

"Thanks Trucy. By the way, where's everyone else?"

"Maya is still sleeping, Apollo is in his office, and Pearl is in the bathroom taking a shower."

"Hmm, usually you guys are already up and noisy by now."

"Well, I can't be noisy by myself. Besides, there's gonna be a repeat episode of the Saber Samurai on in a few minutes."

"Well, have fun watching it."

Trucy nodded and left his office. Phoenix continued methodically doing the paperwork, until finally, he finished. Getting up from his chair, Phoenix went out to the living room, to see Pearl and Trucy watching tv. Walking past them, Phoenix entered the kitchen and saw Maya there, making herself a bowl of cereal. "Oh, finally awake I see."

Maya nodded. "I had a late night last night?"

"How so?"

"Talking to Lloyd, duh!"

"Sheesh, go back to bed."

"Sorry, Nick. Just not a morning person."

"Me neither. Oh, when's your date with Lloyd?"

"Two days from now. Why?"

"Would you like to accompany me to a trial tomorrow?"

"Sure would! What case is it this time?"

Phoenix brought Maya up to speed on the case. "If they had three witnesses backing her up, why did they go with the one who said she killed him?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out tomorrow, won't we."

Maya nodded and started eating her cereal. Phoenix went to the living room and watched tv with Pearl and Trucy.

*In an undisclosed location* "Are you sure you want to go in as a witness? You could get caught by him!"

"Don't worry, Mother. I'm sure I won't get caught. Besides, if I do testify, I'll force my way into his life, via this trial."

"Don't forget, you're there to kill Maya."

"I know and don't worry. I won't fail."

Thanks for reading. And I'll tell you guys right now that the new fanfic will not interrupt my with making this fanfic. Don't forget to review, and to read my other story.


	32. Chapter 32

Time for chapter 32. I know there is starting to become a lot of chapters…but believe me, I have a lot more planned out for this fanfic, especially because of the sequel. Thanks for reading and don't forget to read my other fanfic, characters from this story will appear in there as well. Oh, and one other thing. I've created a forum for you guys to discuss this story. As you can guess, the forum is named "Objection!" You can chat about what has happened and say things that could make this story better. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Phoenix was watching tv in the living room. After talking to his client, Phoenix had managed to get another case, and none too soon because Maya cleaned him out of money. Phoenix was staring at the television, his thoughts occupied about the case. Phoenix wondered who the witness could be and what he saw. His thoughts were interrupted when Pearl got up and went to the kitchen. For the rest of the day, Phoenix did random things like watching tv to just looking out the window, his thoughts about the case. Finally, as the night came in, Phoenix was having strange feelings about this case. He knew something was in it that didn't meet the eye. _I'll figure out what that is. Why would the police listen to only one witness when three others say that she was with them? It doesn't make any sense._ Finally, as everyone was going to bed, Phoenix decided to look at the evidence he had with him at the time. Looking at a picture of the crime scene, Phoenix couldn't see anything out of the usual. The only discrepancy he could think of is the fact that there were seven bullet casings, but only six bullets in the victim. Shaking his head, Phoenix thought that he would find out tomorrow what it meant. Finally, Phoenix drifted off to sleep.

Phoenix awoke earlier than what he normally does. After doing his normal morning routine, Phoenix flagged woke Maya up and made them some breakfast as she got ready. After eating, they both left the office and flagged down a taxi. Finally, they arrived at the courthouse and went to their assigned defendant's lobby. Walking in, Phoenix saw that his client, Stacy Cluman, was already there. Looking up, she managed a weak smile before looking back down at the floor. "Don't worry, Ms. Cluman. I'll get you an acquittal."

"Thanks…Mr. Wright."

After several minutes of awkward silence, Phoenix finally asked, "Ms. Cluman, just to be sure, you are positive you weren't there the night of the murder?"

"I'm positive! I was at a bar!"

"Okay, just wanted to be sure."

After a couple more minutes, the bailiff came out of the courtroom. "Mr. Wright, trial is about to begin. Please make your way into the courtroom."

_This is it! Time to prove her innocent! _

The ceremonial chatting of the crowd was silenced when the judge slammed his gavel down. "Court is now in session for the trial of Stacy Cluman."

"The defense is ready, your honor."

"The prosecution is ready to rock, herr judge."

"Very well, Mr. Gavin, your opening statement please."

"The victim, Mr. Jake Doland, was murdered at the back of Joe's Bail Bonds by Stacy Cluman. The testimony and evidence we received will prove her guilt."

"Very well, you may call your first witness."

"Detective Ema Skye may take the stand."

Ema walked up to the witness stand. "Name and occupation, fraulen."

"Ema Skye, detective in charge of this investigation. *crunch*"

"Very well, you may give your testimony."

"Mr. Jake Doland was an employee of Joe's Bail Bonds. After his shift, he went outside for a smoke when Ms. Cluman *crunch* shot his six times. None were off the mark."

"Hmmm…if it is as you have said, I'm afraid the defendant is guilty. Very well, your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

"You can do it Nick!"

"Mr. Jake Doland was an *crunch* employee of Joe's Bail Bonds—"

"Hold it! Was he the only employee there at the time?"

"No, there was another man inside the building working. He was the one who called the police."

"Very well, please continue."

"After his shift, he went outside for a smoke—"

"Hold it! Do you have proof that he went out for a smoke?"

"OBJECTION! There was a cigarette found next to the victim when we arrived. Therefore, he went out for a smoke."

_Dammit, got me there._

"When Ms. Cluman shot his six times. None were off the mark—"

"OBJECTION! Ema, I'm sure you already know where I'm going with this."

"*crunch* with what?"

"You claim that she was shot six time, and that none of them missed, am I correct?"

"Yeah, you are, so what?"

Phoenix shook his head. "Ms. Skye, I'm afraid you aren't correct in this matter."

"How *crunch* so?"

"While I was investigating at the crime scene, I came across something very interesting…seven bullet cases—"

"OBJECTION! Do you have any proof that there were seven bullet cases?"

"Why, Klavier, of course I do."

"What!?"

Phoenix took out the photo of the crime scene he took. "I took a photo of the crime scene while I was there. Your honor, tell me, how many bullet casings do you see here?"

The bailiff handed the judge the picture and the judge looked at it. "Why, there are seven bullet casings!"

"WHAT!?"

Phoenix slammed on the desk. "As you can see, the gun was fired seven times, not six!"

"OBJECTION! So what, herr Wright?"

"Huh?"

"Okay, so the gun was fired seven times, what does that prove?"

"Uh…"

"It doesn't prove that she didn't kill him now, does it?"

"Ugh…no…"

The crowd erupted into chatter. The judge silenced them by the pounding of his gavel. "Order! Order! Mr. Gavin, what you have said is correct! However, you also have yet to prove that she shot him either."

"That is simple, herr judge. Can you look just a bit to the left of the victim's right hand?"

The judge looked there and was shocked. "Why, that's Ms. Cluman's name, written in blood!"

"WHAAAT!?" _Why didn't I see that when I was there? _

"As you can see, the victim knew who the shooter was, and, with his dying breath, wrote down here name."

"Why…that's a shut case to me."

"Now, Ms. Skye, please testify about the bloody name?"

"*crunch* *crunch* sure thing."

"As you can see, the victim wrote down the killer's name. Obviously, she must be the *crunch* killer."

"Hmm…that's it? Well, that's not the shortest testimony I've heard. Very well, your cross-examination, Mr. Wright."

_I got this one. It's easy._

"As you can see, the victim wrote down the killer's name—"

"OBJECTION! Ema…I'm afraid you aren't right again."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd like to read to the court the contents of the autopsy report." Phoenix took out the autopsy report. "It says, 'Heart, lungs, and stomach penetrated by a total of six bullets. Death was instantaneous.' Now tell me, how was he able to write down her name if he was already dead?"

"Uh…um…he couldn't…could he?"

"That's exactly right. This 'name' that was written down was not done by the victim."

"Then who did write it, herr Wright?"

"Isn't it obvious? It was the real killer!"

The crowd started talking amongst themselves. Some though that Phoenix was leading them down a rabbit trail, while others thought that Stacy wasn't the killer. The judge slammed his gavel. "Order! Mr. Gavin, do you have any responses to this?"

Klavier played some air guitar before speaking. "The witness."

"The witness?"

"Yes, the witness will prove who the actual killer was, which was, of course, Ms. Stacy Cluman."

"OBJECTION! Your honor, think about it. If she were the actual killer, why did she write her own name down in blood?"

"OBJECTION! She probably felt guilty over her deed and tried to make sure we arrested her."

"OBJECTION! I don't think the real killer felt any remorse, especially with the number of bullets in the victim's body."

"OBJECTION! All of this is meaningless conjecture! Herr judge, I request a five minute recess to prepare my witness."

"Hmmm…very well. Mr. Gavin, I expect you to prepare your witness during the recess."

_Isn't that what he was planning on doing in the first place?_

"Very well, the court will now take a five minute recess. When we reconvene, please present your next witness, Mr. Gavin."

"Yes, herr judge."

"The court is now in recess!" The judged slammed his gavel.

And that ends this chapter. The witness will be in the next part. Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to review, and see the forum I created. (still may not be up yet.)


	33. Chapter 33

Sorry everyone that I didn't update yesterday. I had to take care of my grandma's puppy while she was out of town and that took up all of my time. Anyways, the forum isn't up still for some reason and I don't know why. Sorry about that.

Phoenix was sitting on the sofa in the defendant's lobby. He had managed to buy some time for his client. However, the main attraction of the trial, the witness, was about to begin. Phoenix sighed and looked at Maya, who was deep in thought. "Uh…Mr. Wright?" Phoenix looked up and saw his client, Stacy Cluman, looking at him. "Yes?"

"What's going to happen to me now?"

"Nothing, as of yet. The prosecution is going to present their witness. Whatever happens during the next session of the trial determines what happens to you."

"Oh…okay. Sorry, I just don't know how court proceedings work."

Phoenix smirked. Finally, the bailiff told Phoenix that the court was about to reconvene. Getting up, Phoenix went to the courtroom. _Time for round two._

"The court is now back in session. Mr. Gavin, I assume your witness is prepared?"

"Of course, herr judge. The prosecution calls Ms. Kelsey Pills to the stand."

A brown haired, blue eyed woman walked up to the witness stand. "Name and occupation, fraulen."

"Kelsey Pills. I'm a photographer."

"Very well, you may testify about what you saw that night."

"That night, I was going to the store to get another camera. I was walking past the alley when I heard shouts. Looking over, I saw a blonde haired woman yelling at a man. Pulling out a gun, she shot him seven times."

"Hmm…if your testimony stands, that means the defendant is guilty. Very well, your cross-examination, Mr. Wright."

_How can I cross-examine a testimony like that? It all matched up with the facts._

"Yes, your honor."

"That night, I was going to the store to get another camera—"

"Hold it! What happened to your other camera?"

"It was getting old. The photos were starting to become a bit blurry."

"I see, anything wrong Mr. Wright?"

"How is something like that supposed to be important?"

"I don't know, you asked that question."

"…"

"I was walking past the alley when I heard shouts—"

"Hold it! What alley was it?"

"I think it was the one behind the bail bonds store. I even took a picture with my old camera."

Taking out a photograph, Kelsey gave the photograph to the bailiff, who gave it to the judge.

"Hmm….I can't read the top part, but it does say bail bonds on the sign. Very well, the court accepts this into evidence. Bailiff, make copies of this and give it to the two attorneys."

The bailiff shook his head and took off. "Very well, please continue."

"Hold it! Your honor, I have one more question about her statement."

"Very well, ask it."

"Ms. Pill, what where they shouting about?"

"Um…something about his not paying her for something. I couldn't catch all the details."

"OBJECTION! If they were really shouting, you would have heard what they were saying!"

"OBJECTION! Herr Wright, you may not know this…but the witness is deaf in one ear."

"What?"

"She doesn't have both ears to hear. In other words, she didn't hear what they were saying."

"Ugh…"

"Hmmm….but how couldn't she hear them? She does have a perfectly good ear."

"The ear that was facing the alley when she was walking was the deaf ear. The sounds were clearly muffled when they reached her other ear."

"Very well, please continue witness!"

_The judge said that a bit too loud…_

"Looking over, I saw a blonde haired woman yelling at a man—"

"Hold it! Are you sure she was blonde haired?"

"Yes I am. I could clearly see her hair color."

"Hmm, please continue, Ms. Pill."

"Your honor! I have the copies."

"Give one to each attorney bailiff."

The bailiff handed Phoenix one photograph. Looking at the picture, she saw the crime scene, right after the murder. "Hmmm…nothing out of the ordinary…however, I feel like something in this photo is missing…"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Please continue Ms. Pill."

"Pulling out a gun, she shot him seven times—"

"Hold it! How can you be so certain that the gun was fired seven times?"

"I saw it from the photo I took, there were seven bullet casings. Also, I distinctly heard seven gunshots."

The judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright, I can see no discrepancies between her testimony and the evidence. Your cross-examination has not brought any doubt on this witness's testimony, therefore, it will be accepted as fact."

_WHAAAT!? No, it can't be over…there has to be something!_

"Hold it! Your honor, please, give me five minutes."

"For what?"

"I need to examine this picture one more time."

"OBJECTION! This charade has gone on for too long, Herr Wright!"

"OBJECTION! The defense needs to examine every piece of evidence. I was given this while I was cross-examining. Therefore, I did not get a good chance to examine it."

The judge slammed his gavel. "The court acknowledges the defense's request. We will take another five minute recess. However, if you find nothing out of the ordinary, I will deliver a very harsh verdict. Do you understand?"

"I do, your honor."

"Very well, court is now in recess again."

Phoenix rushed out of the courtroom and into the lobby. Looking at the photo, he compared it to every piece of evidence he had. Everything seemed to fit, the alley, the victim, the number of bullet casings, everything.

"Dammit, there's nothing ther—" Phoenix noticed something. Looking at the photograph Prosecutor Gavin had presented earlier, he looked at the picture the witness took. "That's it! That's how I'll turn this case around!"

"You find something Nick?"

"Sure did, now it's time to get her a not guilty!" Phoenix confidently walked back into the courtroom.

The judge slammed his gavel. "Court is back in session. Mr. Wright, did you find any contradictions in the picture?"

Phoenix nodded his head. "Sure did."

Klavier scoffed. "I doubt you did, Herr Wright. Show us then? What could that photo possibly contradict?"

Phoenix took out the photos. "This photo was presented by Klavier Gavin. This photo was given to us by the witness. Notice, there is something in the first photo that isn't in the second."

"Well…what is it?"

"Have a look for yourself, your honor. Look at the victim's right hand in both photos."

The judge looked at them for a moment that expressed a shocked look. "Why, the killer's name is gone!"

"WHAAAAT!?" Klavier shouted while holding his ears.

That's exactly my point. In this photograph, my client's name is written in blood. However, in the other photograph, taken before the first one, doesn't show a name. Tell me, Ms. Pill, how did that name appear?"

Kelsey Pill looked around the courtroom. "Isn't it obvious? I don't know! I left soon after I witnessed this event."

"You didn't bother to call the police?"

"No, after all, I saw another woman come out of the building to call the police."

"Hmm…perhaps you can testify about what happened?"

"After I saw the shooting, I was about to call the police. However, I lost my cell phone. Looking back at the alley, I saw a woman run out of the building, phone in hand."

"Very well. Your testimony seems solid yet again. Mr. Wright, your cross-examination."

_Piece of cake_.

"After I saw the shooting, I was about to call the police. However, I lost my cell phone. Looking back at the alley, I saw a woman—"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix slammed on the desk. "Ms. Pill, you are blatantly lying to the court."

"Huh?"

"During the cross-examination of the detective in charge, she told me that there was another employee inside the building."

"See? It proves my point!"

Phoenix shook his head. "I'm afraid, you're off the mark. After all, the other employee was a man, not a woman!"

"WHAT!? But I'm certain I saw a woman run out…oh, he maybe just had long hair. Yeah, that's it! I confused him for a her because of the hair!"

"OBJECTION!"

Phoenix looked at Klavier Gavin. "Fraulen…I'm afraid I can't agree with you there."

"What? You're supposed to be on my side!"

"The other employee was a short haired man named Brian Chester."

"What is your point, Mr. Gavin?"

"Herr judge…do you still not understand? The other employee was a short haired man, not long haired."

"Oh! I knew that, just testing whether you knew what you were talking about or not. Very well, witness, why did you lie in your testimony!?"

"I didn't lie! I swear that another woman came out of the building!"

_She doesn't look like she's lying…_

"Hold it!" Phoenix looked around, looking for the mysterious person who yelled. Finally, seeing his client standing up.

"Judge, I think I know who the other woman was!"

"What!? You do?!"

"Yes. Kelsey…was the woman who came out wearing an orange dress?"

"….actually, yes, she was."

"Judge, I'm afraid I know who the person was….it was my friend, Carly Martinez."

"What!? How do you know that fraulen?"

"Because, at the bar, she had to go all of a sudden, saying she needed to bail her brother out of jail. I never heard from her since that day."

"So, you're saying that your friend could be the mysterious lady running out of the building?"

"Yes…also, it would explain why my name was written there. After all, she knew me. She could easily write my name down."

"Hmmm…it seems like we're going to have to postpone proceedings for today. Prosecutor Gavin, I was this Carly Martinez testifying tomorrow, do you understand?"

"Yes, herr judge."

"That is all, court is adjourned."

Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief. Walking out of the courtroom, he put everything in his briefcase. "Mr. Wright, thank you for what you've done."

"I actually have to thank you, Stacy. After all, without you, we would have never been able to get to where we are now."

"So, what next Nick?"

Phoenix looked at Maya. Well, looks like we can't do anything until tomorrow. We just have to wait."

Maya nodded. Finally, two guards came and took Stacy Cluman back to her cell. Phoenix and Maya went into a taxi, and drove off.

Thanks everyone for reading. I was just thinking while I was reading this that I didn't plan on having any trials during this fanfic, but now I'm in the middle of my third one. Had to chuckle at that. Anyways, don't forget to review, and I should be able to update "The Case of the Missing Boy" tomorrow, so stay tuned for that as well.


	34. Chapter 34

Wow…chapter 34…getting to be a pretty long story. I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I certainly am. Oh, and there are over 6,000 views. To celebrate…I'm doing an extra-long chapter. Enjoy.

Phoenix and Maya went back to the office. Apollo, Trucy, and Pearl were playing Monopoly in the dining room. Hearing them come in, Apollo looked up. "Mr. Wright, how was the trial?"

"I've managed to buy her another day."

Maya looked at Phoenix. "Don't you mean that she bought herself more time?"

Phoenix smiled at her. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. If she didn't say that there was a possibility that her friend could have been the lady, it may have possibly been her getting the guilty verdict."

"I doubt it. There would have been another testimony."

"You never know how that would have gone."

Before Phoenix could respond, Pearls cut in.

"You guys are fighting just like a married couple!"

Phoenix turned red, obviously embarrassed. "Pearl, don't you have to focus on your monopoly game?"

"No, I'm about to win anyways!"

Phoenix sighed and rushed to his office. Setting his briefcase on his desk, Phoenix reviewed what had happened during the trial.

While Phoenix was at his office, and Maya was in her room, the witness, Kelsey Pills, knocked on the entrance to the office. Pearl opened the door. "Hello, who are you?"

"I'm Kelsey Pills. I was the witness at the trial today. I wanted to apologize to Mr. Wright for being a troubling witness by giving him some cookies."

"Ohhh, what kind?"

"Chocolate chip."

"Set them down in the kitchen. I'm sure Mr. Nick will love them, as will Mystic Maya."

Kelsey set them down. "Sorry, I can't stay long. I must be going."

Kelsey left quickly.

Phoenix was still reviewing what had happened during the trial when his phone started playing the Steel Samurai theme. "Hello?"

"Wright! Get to the kitchen and get those cookies out of there!"

"What cookies?"

"My sister gave you guys a plate of poisoned cookies! No time to talk, get to them!"

Jonathan hung up, sending Phoenix in a frenzy to get to the kitchen. Reaching the kitchen, he saw a plate of cookies. Taking the plate, he threw them into a dumpster a block away. _There, no chance for Maya to find them. Thanks Jonathan._ Phoenix headed back to the office. Walking into the office, Pearl was looking for the plate of cookies. "Mr. Nick, do you know where the cookies went?"

"Oh, those? Uh…I…ate them."

"You ate all those cookies?!"

"Yeah. I was hungry after the trial."

"Those cookies were also for Mystic Maya!"

"Oh…sorry."

Pearl sighed and went to the living room, shaking her head.

Maya was in her room. (or Phoenix's if you want to get technical.) Looking out the window, she was thinking of how her plan was working. _Things are going perfectly! Just a few more days…_ There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" The door opened and Pearl came into the room "Mystic Maya, I wanted to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Um…why are you dating Lloyd?"

"Because I like him."

"Do you? You only met at a burger joint, then you guys are a couple. Something's going on."

"Nothing's going on Pearly!"

Pearl gave Maya a suspicious look, then left the room, leaving Maya alone with her thoughts.

Phoenix was in a taxi, getting driven to the detention center. He wanted to know everything he could about Carly Martinez. Finally arriving, he went out of the taxi and into the detention center. After a minute wait, he was able to speak to Stacy.

"Mr. Wright, what are you doing here?"

"I came here to know everything I can about Carly Martinez."

"Well, she's…a bit hot-tempered. Anything she doesn't like sets her off."

_Great…just what I need…_

"Oh, and she knew Ms. Pill."

"She did?"

"Yeah, they've been talking a lot lately. I've never really listened to their conversations, but I kept hearing a name."

"Oh, what name?"

"Maya Fey, if I remember correctly."

_Maya?!_

"Are you sure you heard that name?"

"…yeah, I'm sure."

"Thanks, you've been a big help."

"Oh, before you go, you should know something. Ms. Pill…she's not a photographer."

"She isn't?"

"No, I kept hearing that she was a clerk at The Outlet of Groceries." (Hey, you eventually run out of good names. Give me some slack on this one.)

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I didn't expect her to lie. Also, because I didn't have the time to tell you."

"Okay, thanks for telling me."

With that, Phoenix left the detention center, and went back to his office. After he regular evening duties, Phoenix collapsed on the couch, awaiting for the trial the next day.

Phoenix was awakened by Maya pouring cold water on him "Woah! What was that for!?"

"To get you up! We need to leave in five minutes!"

Phoenix looked at the clock, then charged to the bathroom. Getting ready as best he could, Phoenix then grabbed his briefcase and went to the courthouse with Maya.

While waiting in the defendant lobby, Phoenix kept replaying his conversation with Stacy. _Why would they keep mentioning Maya?_

Stacy was sitting on a bench, watching Phoenix, while Maya was pacing back and forth. Finally, the bailiff came and announced that the trial was about to begin.

The crowd was silenced by the judge slamming his gavel. "Court is back in session for the trial of Stacy Cluman."

"The defense is ready your honor."

"…the prosecution…is ready."

"Mr. Gavin, is something wrong?"

"…no, herr judge."

"Very well, in the last session, I gave you the task of tracking down Carly Martinez and having her appear as a witness. Did you succeed?"

"Yes, herr judge, we found her last night, at a bar."

"Very well, you may present her as a witness."

"The prosecution calls Carly Martinez to the stand."

Carly walked up to the witness stand, her black hair in lopsided curls, her makeup on sloppily, and her clothes on backward. The judge was shocked. "Um…this is…uh…the witness?"

"Sadly, she is herr judge."

"SADLY!? I'll let you know that eight men were fighting over me last night! I'm sure that girls wouldn't be fighting ove—"

The judge slammed his gavel. "That's enough witness! Just tell us why you were spotted at the crime scene."

"My brother was arrested and I was forced to bail him out. I was out drinking with my friends that night so I was a bit loopy. After paying the bail, I went outside to take a call. Never noticed a body or a name there."

"Hmmm…are you sure about this?"

"Yes, old man."

"O—Old?!"

_It's okay, your honor, it's only the truth._

"Your cross-examination Mr. Wright, and please…find something."

"Uh…yes, your honor."

"My brother was arrested and I was forced to bail him out—"

"Hold it! What was he arrested for?"

"He was arrested for a dui."

"How much was the bail?"

"A couple thousand."

_Talkative…_

"I was out drinking with my friends that night so I was a bit loopy—"

"Hold it! Uh…loopy?"

"Yeah, wasn't thinking clearly. You know what I mean?"

_Do I have to answer that?_

"After paying the bail, I went outside to take a call—"

"Hold it! Who called you?"

"It was a close friend named Kelsey Pill"

The judge was shocked. "You mean the witness from yesterday!?"

"She was a witness here? Hmm…small world."

"Hold it! Your honor, this casts doubt on Ms. Pill's testimony!"

"What do you mean Mr. Wright?"

"She seemed to neglect mentioning that she called someone, specifically, the witness."

"Indeed…but we don't know if it has affected the outcome of the court."

_Dammit…couldn't get her there…_

"I never noticed a body or a name there—"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix slammed on the desk. "I finally got you."

"Got me? I'll let you know that I can't be easily gotten! You have to fight to win my—"

"Herr Wright, could you please enlighten the court to what you have?"

"It takes a bit of logic, but there is a fatal flaw."

"A fatal flaw?"

"Yes. Yesterday, we found out that there was a name there. However, there was no mention of that to the press or anyone else. Only people who attended the trial yesterday should have known that."

"…! You mean…"

"Yes." Phoenix slammed the desk again. "The witness knows more than what she is telling us!"

"What do you mean, Spikey!? You saying I lied to the court? Isn't that like…perjury?"

Phoenix shook his head. "Yes it is, and you just committed it!"

"OBJECTION! Mr. Wright, let me draw your attention to one minor detail you forgot."

"What's that?"

"She said earlier in the testimony that she's 'good friends' with Ms. Pill, am I correct?"

"Yes…"

"Isn't it possible that…Ms. Pill told her about the name?!"

"Ugh…yes…it's possible…"

"Nick! How could you admit defeat like that?"

"Well…it's true, it is possible."

_Wait…unless…_

"OBJECTION! Actually, it isn't possible."

"What do you mean, herr Wright?"

"It's quite simple once you realize it. My client, Ms. Cluman, is also good friends with the witness. However, she said yesterday that she hadn't heard from Ms. Martinez since the night of the murder! Therefore, it's possible that she never contacted Ms. Pill!"

"What!?"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Witness, tell us, how did you know about the name?"

"…because…I lied, I saw it."

"You saw it? Please testify about what you saw."

"Before I took the call, I heard about seven bangs. Not thinking anything of it, I went outside to take my call. After I finished talking to her, I was about to head inside when I saw a body. Walking over, I saw a name written in blood."

"So that's what really happened. Very well, your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

"Before I took the call, I heard about seven bangs—"

"Hold it! 'about' seven bangs?"

"Yes, I'm not completely sure I heard all of them."

"Hmm…anything wrong with that statement Mr. Wright?"

"There is one thing. If you saw the body, shouldn't you also have seen the bullet casings?"

"Bullet casings?"

"Yes, there were seven of them found near the victim's body."

"Oh…I didn't see them. As I said before, I was a little loopy, so I must have missed them."

_Ha! I don't think you're going to get out of this so easily!_

"That makes sense. Very well, please continue."

_Your honor, a little help would have been nice!_

"Not thinking anything of it, I went outside to take my call—"

"Hold it! Why didn't you think anything of it?"

"I don't know."

"…."

"…."

"Uh…is that it?"

"Yes."

_Sheesh, go back to bed will ya?_

"After I finished talking to her, I was about to head inside when I saw a body—"

"Hold it! Why did it take you so long to notice the body?"

"It just didn't draw my attention."

"…."

"…."

"Go on, there has to be something else."

"There isn't."

_That's it, I'm taking her to a psychiatrist after this. Her head must not be on right._

"Walking over, I saw a name written in blood—"

"Hold it! Did you see anyone near there when you noticed the body, and the name?"

"No, the killer fled and no one was there."

_Got her_. "OBJECTION!" Phoenix slammed on the desk. "Your honor, I present the photo from yesterday. Notice that there's no name there."

"…yes, so?"

"So, it's impossible to have seen the name then!"

"What do you mean?"

"She just testified that the name was there. However, judging from her testimony, it was just after the murder had occurred. We know that the victim died immediately, so it couldn't have been him. The killer didn't write the name, since we have the photographic evidence to prove it. Therefore, it leaves only one person who could have done it."

"It does? Who?"

"The witness, Carly Martinez!"

Carly gave Phoenix a grizzly stare. "You PIG! How dare you accuse me of writing that name!"

"I only got this from your testimony. After all you said it yourself. 'the killer fled and no one was there.' If that's true, that only leaves you there to actually write the name!"

"Urgh…"

"Also, you know the defendant's name! You could have easily have written down the defendant's name."

"NOOOO!"

The crowd erupted into chatter. "What's going on here!?"

"That lawyer is going on a rabbit trail!"

"She's guilty of the murder!"

"She's lying!"

The judge slammed on his gavel. "ORDER! ORDER! ORDERRRRR! Mr. Wright, even I can see something wrong with your theory."

"What's that your honor?"

"Motive, of course. They were good friends, so why frame her for murder?"

"Uh…"

"Can you prove the witness's motive to frame her friend?"

_This is it Wright, the trial is riding on this. Don't mess up!_

"The defense can prove her motive."

"This is interesting, very well, please tell us the motive."

"Okay, you said that you took a phone call, right Ms. Martinez?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"What exactly did you talk to Ms. Pill about?"

"Just girl stuff, as always."

"OBJECTION! I'm sorry, but I can't believe that. You see, I had a chat with my client yesterday. She said that whenever you talked to Ms. Pill, a certain name kept popping up."

"A name?"

"Yes. You kept talking about my assistant, Maya Fey!"

"What?!"

"Now, if my theory is correct, you are a part of a plan to kill Maya. Ms. Pill must have told you to write the name in blood, therefore, Ms. Pill became a part of the investigation!"

"Mr. Wright, you still have yet to prove the motive."

"I already have, your honor. The motive is to kill Maya!"

"W—w—WHAAAAAAT?!"

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, which the judge could not calm down. Therefore, he ordered a ten minute recess.

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review, and vote whether or not you want me to do daily or weekly updates. Oh, and the forum is up, click on forums, games, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, then go to the second page. It should be on the very bottom. The forum name is: Objection! the fourm.


	35. Chapter 35

Sorry I haven't updated. Yes I'm still alive, but I've been extremely busy and this was moved to the bottom of my to do list. Yes, I am still alive.

Phoenix was walking around the defendant lobby, pacing like a caged animal. He couldn't believe what was happening. "Uh…Nick?"

Phoenix turned and looked at Maya. "Um…when did you talk to Stacy?"

"Yesterday. It was shortly after we arrived at the office when I decided to go over and see what I could know about the witness."

"Oh…well you could have told me what she said!"

"Sorry, I guess it slipped my mind…"

Maya rolled her eyes. After a few minutes, the bailiff told Phoenix that the trial was about to resume.

The intense chatter of the people in the courtroom was barely overcome by the judge banging his gavel. "ORDER! ORDER!" Slowly, the crowd settled down. "Mr. Wright! I hope you know what you're doing."

_Me too, your honor_.

"Herr Wright, I hope you have some evidence to support your claim."

_This is it. Something I haven't done…ever._

"Your honor…I'd like to call a witness."

"You…want to call a witness?"

"OBJECTION! Herr judge, only the prosecution can call a witness!"

"OBJECTION! This is a special circumstance! I profusely request that we be able to call a witness, your honor!"

"Hmmm…." The judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright, who would you like to call as a witness?"

"The defense calls the defendant, Stacy Cluman, to the stand."

Stacy stood up from her seat and walked to the witness stand. "Uh…Mr. Wright…you're supposed to ask her the questions now…I think."

"Uh…name and occupation?"

"Stacy Cluman. I'm a teacher."

"Uh…very well Stacy, please testify about…Carly's wanting to kill Maya."

"For over the past week, Carly has been talking to Ms. Pill. Every time she talked to her, Maya's name would always pop up, along with a look of disgust from Carly."

"I see, well Mr. Wri—I mean, Mr. Gavin. Your cross-examination."

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix slammed on the desk. "The prosecution is not trained to do a cross-examination. In order to have a fair trial, I should be the one doing the cross-examination."

"…very well, your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

"For over the past week, Carly has been talking to Ms. Pill—"

"Hold it! Did she ever talk to Ms. Pill in person?"

"A couple times. Each time they brought up Maya's name, Carly became a different person, even more angry than usual."

_Is that even possible?_

"Did Ms. Pill show any facial expressions?"

"Not really. She kept a straight face the entire time."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, I am."

The judge shook his head. "Very well, please continue."

"Every time she talked to her, Maya's name would always pop up—"

"Hold it! What did they talk about Maya?"

"I really didn't hear much of what they said afterwards, but I did hear them saying that 'once they're done with her, she'll wish she never lived.'"

_That doesn't sound good…_

"Very well, continue witness."

"Along with a look of disgust from Carly."

_We already went over this. No point in doing it again._

The judge slammed his gavel. "Witness, are you absolutely sure about what you heard?"

"Yes, your honor. I am."

"Very well. Since there is no evidence contradicting her testimony, we have to accept it as fact. Ms. Martinez, please retake the stand!"

Carly slowly went back up to the stand. "Ms. Martinez, have you been paying attention?"

"I have old man."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Of course, you old hag."

"H—hag!?"

_I've never seen the judge turn so red in my life._

"It's quite simple, I never knew Ms. Pill or of this 'Maya.' All that Stacy just said was a lie, plain and simple."

"Very well, Mr. Wright…knock her down!"

_Sheesh, I'm not a tool of revenge your honor!_

"It's quite simple, I never knew Ms. Pill or of this 'Maya—'"

"Hold it! Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. After all, I wouldn't know anything about her."

"Could you add this to your testimony…woman."

_Your honor…seriously?_

"I never knew of that burger-loving snob—"

"OBJECTION! Carly, I got you."

The judge looked thrilled. "You did Mr. Wright?! Please don't keep us clueless."

"Ms. Martinez, do you know what you have just said?"

"No, what?"

"You said 'I never knew of that burger-loving snob.' If that were true…how did you even know Maya loved burgers to begin with?"

"Wha—"

"OBJECTION! Herr Wright, it's quite obvious. She can see Maya now. Maybe during the trial, she found out she loved burgers."

"OBJECTION! Ms. Martinez was either sitting alone or at the witness stand. There is no way she could have known about that!"

Carly then glared at Pheonix. "Mr. Wright, I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I said that I had eight men fighting over me last night at a bar?"

"Yes…"

"You see, the security guard decided to blabble everything he knew to me, trying to make me like him. It didn't work however, but that's how I knew."

"But…urgh…"

"Do you have proof against my claim, pig?"

"Ugh…no…"

"Then it has to stand as fact, right, old hag?"

"Nnnrgh….sadly…she is correct. Unless you can prove otherwise, It'll have to remain as fact."

"But…your honor…"

"Sorry, Mr. Wright…but it seems you have led us on a miserable rabbit trail."

_Is this it? If I fail now, I may never get the chance again._

"…! Wait, your honor!"

"Yes, Mr. Wright?"

"I know how to prove it. I can prove she is lying."

"But how Mr. Wright?"

"The same way I was able to get this far. I would like to call the security guard as a witness!"

The crowd erupted into chatter. After much banging, the judge managed to silence them. "ORDER! ORDER! Mr. Wright, are you sure about this?"

"Not really, your honor, but what other choice do I have?"

"I see…very well, you may call your witness."

"The security guard may take the stand."

The bailiff went outside the courtroom and brought the security guard into the courtroom. However, one look at him sent chills up both Phoenix's and Maya's spine. _This guy looks like Jonathan…but it can't be…can it?_

Sorry to end abruptly but It would be better to have the rest of day two of the trial in the next chapter. Please don't forget to review.


	36. Chapter 36

Phoenix Wright music playing: check. Microsoft word on: check time to write the next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy.

The security guard walked up to the witness stand. Looking at Phoenix, the guard sneered, then looked at the judge. "Name and occupation."

"George Harty, security guard."

"Very well, please tell us what you told Ms. Martinez."

"The moment I saw Carly, I knew she was the one for me. Trying to impress her, I told her everything I knew."

"Well…certainly an…interesting testimony. Your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

"The moment I saw Carly, I knew she was the one for me—"

"Hold it! Are you serious?"

"Yeah I am, why would you say that?"

"…let's just say we see things differently."

"Please continue witness."

"Trying to impress her, I told her everything I knew—"

"Hold it! How much did you know?"

"Well, I studied the Kurain tradition for several years. I, of course, studied about its Master, Maya Fey. I know that she likes burgers, a lot. That she was your assistant for about three years. After that, she went back to Kurain Village to become the Master after her mother's death. Since then, she dated the murderer, Jonathan Crinkle." (had to look back to chapter 3 to see his name since I forgot his last name.)

_Murderer?_

"Hold it! I personally cleared Jonathan of any charges. He's not a murderer!"

"Yeah he is, he killed a person several years ago and hid the body under an oak tree several feet from a waterfall."

"OBJECTION! George as it?"

"Yeah, what?"

"You seem to know a bit too much."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, I've talked to Jonathan personally about what you just described. It was interesting what he told me. He admitted that he killed someone, yes. However, the only person who helped him move the body was his brother. Everyone suspected him of murder, but without the body, they never were able to prove it. How do you even know where he hid the body if no one else knew!?"

"Uh…you see…"

Phoenix shook his head. "Don't try to make up excuses. There is only one reason why you knew." Phoenix slammed his desk. "You are Jonathan's brother!"

The crowd erupted into chatter. The judge slammed his gavel and silenced them. "Mr. Wright, why would this have any bearing on the case?"

"It's quite simple, your honor. You see, the motive for Carly to write down the name was to get into the investigation, to kill Maya. If the security guard is indeed Jonathan's brother, that makes him a part of the plot to kill her!"

"OBJECTION! Herr Wright, you have no proof that he is this 'Jonathan's' brother. This is baseless conjecture!"

"OBJECTION! Your honor, I request more testimony from George. If Mr. Gavin wants proof, I'll give it to him!"

The judge shook his head and slammed his gavel. "Mr. Harty, may you please testify about your relation to Jonathan Crinkle?"

"It's quite simple, Jonathan and I aren't related. I merely knew that he hid the body from overhearing discussions. Once piecing all of the conversations together, I came with the solution that he hid the body near an oak tree. That's all."

"Hmm…if that's the case, then you aren't related to Jonathan, just an eavesdropper. Very well, your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

"It's quite simple, Jonathan and I aren't related—"

"Hold it! Do you have proof that you aren't related?"

"OBJECTION! You don't have proof that they are, Herr Wright. Without any evidence, whatever he testifies stands as the truth."

_Damn, no good._

"I merely knew that he hid the body from overhearing discussions—"

"Hold it! What discussions?"

"I visited Kurain Village several times. Each time I was there, I overheard people talking about the murder near Blue Mountain and the possibility that another murder took place there that same night."

"Very well, please continue witness."

"Once piecing all of the conversations together, I came with the solution that he hid the body near an oak tree—"

"Hold it! How did you come up with this solution?"

"Well, people were saying that the murder took place near a waterfall. I went to see what it looked like, and I could only see oak trees in the area."

"So, you 'assume' that he hid a body there?"

"That is correct."

The judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright…I'm afraid your cross-examination has not yielded any results. I'm afraid I must end the cross-examination of George Harty."

_No…it can't be…_

"OBJECTION! Your honor, I request that the witness testify more about the discussions!"

"OBJECTION! Sorry, Herr Wright, but I cannot allow that."

"What!? Why?!"

"I simply won't allow any more testimony for today. This trial has gone on way too long today with your rabbit trails. Therefore, we'll have to wait until tomorrow before you finally relent."

"Sorry, Mr. Wright, but Mr. Gavin is correct. This trial has carried on a bit too long." The judge slammed his gavel. "The court will reconvene tomorrow to finish the trial. Mr. Wright, if you want to prove your theory, I suggest you get your evidence, and fast."

_This…can't…be….happening…._

"That is all, court is adjourned." With that, the judge slammed his gavel.

Everyone filled out of the courtroom, save Phoenix and Maya. Phoenix was leaning against the table, his hands in his hair. _I couldn't do it…now there's no telling what will happen tomorrow._ "Nick, are you serious about what you said?"

Phoenix looked at Maya, then shook his head. "I am Maya. I believe this trial all revolves around you. If I can't get an acquittal…your life could be in even more danger."

"Nick…"

"I'm sorry Maya…"

They stood in silence for a few minutes before Phoenix thought of something.

_Wait…there is still a chance!_

Phoenix took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Who are you calling Nick?"

"You'll see."

After a few rings, a voice answered. "This had better be an emergency."

"It is…Jonathan." Phoenix stole a peek at Maya who had a look of shock on her face. "I need you to testify tomorrow."

"Testify? About what?"

"That the security guard today in the trial was your brother. He went by the name of George Harty."

"….you're breaking up, let me get into a better spot."

After several seconds, Phoenix heard Jonathan's voice. "Sorry, but a 'friend' walked into the room. I'll just get right to the point. That man was my brother. You're going down the right path."

"So…you'll testify?"

"….I'm not sure….you'll have to find out later."

With that, Jonathan hung up. Phoenix sighed and turned to Maya, expecting an interrogation.

"Nick! How did you get Jonathan's number? Why did you call him?"

"He called me yesterday…about the cookies."

"Cookies? Oh, you mean the ones Pearly told me you ate?"

"Yeah…except I didn't eat it. It was poisoned so I threw them out."

"Okay, but why did you call him?"

"He's our only chance of surviving the trial tomorrow. He saved your life before…I believe he'll do it again."

With that, Phoenix left the courtroom, followed by Maya.

Thanks for reading. This actually took me a while to write. Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to review.


	37. Chapter 37

Well…time for a break from the trials. This chapter is more of a break for me, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter just as much as the others. Also…we're 8 views away from 7,000. Tomorrow, IF I have time, I'll write a longer chapter.

Phoenix and Maya arrived back at the office. Setting down his things, Phoenix went to the kitchen and started making a sandwich. Maya walked into the living room, until Phoenix heard her squeal. "Oh no! I forgot about my date tonight with Lloyd!"

"Is it too late to go?"

"No, not yet. I still have ten minutes to get ready." With that, Maya charged into her room. Phoenix smiled a sad smile, and continued making his sandwich. _I wonder where everyone else is._ As if answering his thoughts, he heard the entrance door open. Looking up, Phoenix saw Apollo, Trucy, and Pearl come through the door, arguing.

"Polly, I'm telling you, the Saber Samurai is better!"

"Trucy, from what I have seen, the Steel Samurai is better!"

"But Mr. Justice, the Saber Samurai has fangs! How can the Steel Samurai compete with that?"

Apollo was about to answer when he saw Phoenix standing in the kitchen, smirking. "So, I see you got the girls all fired up."

"Mr. Wright, I …uh…how was the trial?"

"Could have been better."

"You lost it?"

"No, there will be another day. However, if things keep going the way they are, my client will be declared guilty, and Maya will be in danger again."

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, Mr. Nick, why would Mystic Maya's life be in danger again?"

"You see…I believe the people trying to kill her, are the ones who committed the murder. Jonathan's brother, his sister, and a lady that's not quite right in the head are the ones trying to kill her. The sad thing is…they're in the trial."

"That can't be good."

Phoenix shook his head. After a couple seconds of awkward silence, Phoenix heard Maya enter the room. "So, how do I look?"

Phoenix turned to look at Maya, and was dumbfounded. She still had her topknot and spirit medium clothes, but the setting sun set an aura around her that made her look even more stunning. "Uh…you look great Maya." Phoenix's heart was beating fast, but he showed no signs of anything happening to him. "Thanks Nick." After a couple minutes of chatting, Phoenix heard a car pull up. A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, Phoenix saw Lloyd standing in front of him. "Hey Lloyd, come on in."

"Thanks Mr. Wright." Stepping inside, Lloyd looked at Maya. "Well, Maya, should we head to Gatewaterland?"

"Yep, let's go, see you guys later."

"See you later Mystic Maya!" As Maya left, Phoenix felt a tugging at his heart. (I know, it's the romantic chapter. Don't worry, the trial stuff will be in the next chapter.) Finally, Phoenix managed to go to the kitchen and finish making his sandwich. Going to the living room, Phoenix turned on the tv and watched the news. Much to his surprise, the opening story was about his trial. "Well-known defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, is fighting for the life of his client. Tomorrow marks the third day of the trial. We spoke with Prosecutor Gavin about the trial."

"So Mr. Gavin, what has happened to have this trial get extended to three days?"

"Mainly, it's just been rabbit trails the attorney has been leading us on. Today, he went so far as to go after a security guard at the courthouse, claiming that he was a killer's brother."

"So I take it you don't agree with his theory?"

"None of us did, except for his assistant. Because of this, Herr Wright will be defeated tomorrow."

"Thank you for your time Mr. Gavin."

The tv then showed the two news anchors. "So, Shelly, what do you think of this trial?"

"To be honest, I believe that Phoenix Wright is completely wrong this trial. He doesn't have any solid evidence about what happened and is trying to pin the guilt on anyone that he thinks of. A shameful tactic, which makes me saddened that he was able to take the BAR exam again."

"I completely agree Shelly. Phoenix Wright will lose tomorrow, no doubt about that. It's just a matter if he will take another case after th—"

Phoenix turned off the tv. Phoenix was furious about what the female anchor had said. _I did not forge evidence! I can't believe she said that!_

"Daddy?"

Phoenix turned and saw Trucy, Pearl, and Apollo looking at him. "That news anchor was wrong. I'm sure you had a good reason to suspect him."

"I did, but as she said, I didn't have any solid evidence."

"Don't worry Daddy, I'm sure you'll win tomorrow."

Phoenix slightly smiled. "Thanks…Trucy."

Phoenix got up and left the living room, leaving his half-eaten sandwich behind. Entering his office, Phoenix turned on the lights and stared at his office. Finally, Phoenix sat down at his desk, and remembered the good old days.

Maya was having the time of her life at Gatewaterland. She was watching the Blue Badger and the Proto Badger take down the Bad Badger (I know, too much badger for me.) when Lloyd motioned for them to take a picture near the front entrance. After taking a picture, Lloyd told her he had to go to the bathroom. While waiting, Maya took a seat near a fountain. Not many people were near her and she liked that. Breathing in the cool evening air, Maya let her thoughts drift to the trial earlier that day. Nick had done all he could to defend Stacy, but all he got was flak from the press. While pondering this, the heard footsteps approach her.

Lloyd had finished going to the bathroom and headed back to the fountain. However, Maya was nowhere to be seen. "Maya?" Looking around him, he could not see her. After he was about to go to a different part of the park to look for her, he heard a struggle for breath. Running to the sound, he found a man wearing a ski mask choking Maya. "Hey! Get away from her!" The man looked at Lloyd and took off, dropping Maya. Maya coughed and greedily took in air. Lloyd ran up to her. "Maya…what happened?"

Maya tried to speak, but was too in shock to answer.

Phoenix was trying to focus on the paperwork in front of him. However, he couldn't shake the feeling something had happened. Suddenly, the phone next to him started to ring. "Wright Anything Agen—"

"Pal, I need you to come to Gatewaterland right away!"

"What for detective?"

"Someone just tried to kill Maya!"

Phoenix jolted up from his seat. "What!? I'll be right there detective!"

Dashing from his office, Phoenix slipped on some shoes and went to flag down a taxi, avoiding questions from Pearl and Trucy.

Entering Gatewaterland, Phoenix rushed through the entrance, to see Maya and Lloyd talking with Gumshoe. Phoenix could tell Maya was visibly shaken as she was trembling. "Maya!"

Maya turned and saw Phoenix. He could see relief enter her eyes. "Nick…" Maya rushed up to him and hugged him. _Don't worry Maya. I'll catch the bastard who tried to kill you tomorrow. I swear it! Jonathan…please testify tomorrow._

And that ends the chapter. The next chapter will be the beginning of the third day of the trial. Oh, and while I was writing this, we hit the 7,000 view mark. Thanks to everyone who has read this and don't forget to review, I haven't gotten any recently.


	38. Chapter 38

Ah, the final trial, meaning…the story is nearing the ending point. Don't worry, there still will be something after the trial, but after that, Objection! will end. I'll wait a week before doing the sequel, so I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the chapters.

Phoenix awoke on the couch. After taking Maya back to the office after she was nearly murdered, Phoenix collapsed on the couch. Remembering he had a trial to go to, Phoenix went to the bathroom, showered, then went to go eat breakfast. Phoenix figured that Maya wouldn't want to go to the trial after what had happened last night, so he didn't wake her up. While eating his cereal, Phoenix heard someone enter the bathroom. Not thinking anything of it, Phoenix continued to eat his cereal. After eating, Phoenix was collecting notes from his office when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in!" The door opened, revealing Maya in the doorway. "Maya! I thought you were still asleep."

"Trying to leave without me?"

"Figured you weren't up to going to the trial after what happened last night."

Maya smirked. "Nick, I'm not that helpless. Now, let's go win a trial!"

Phoenix grinned. Packing up the last of his things, Phoenix left the office with Maya, flagged down a taxi, and went to the courthouse.

After entering the courthouse, Phoenix was in the defendant's lobby when Stacy was escorted into the room. "Mr. Wright! How do you feel about today?"

"Honestly…I don't know. Your fate all depends on the choice of a certain person."

"Who would that be?"

"You'll see. Don't worry, I'll put up a fight even if he won't testify."

Stacy didn't look reassured. After waiting several minutes, the bailiff told Phoenix it was time to begin the trial. _Here goes nothing!_

The chatter from the crowd was suppressed by the banging of the judge's gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Stacy Cluman."

"The prosecution is ready to roll, herr judge."

"The…defense is ready, your honor."

"Mr. Wright, in the last session, I told you to find evidence supporting your claim that George Harty is, in fact, related to Jonathan Crinkle. Have you found the evidence necessary?"

"…sort of, your honor."

"Sort of?"

"You see, I didn't find any physical evidence."

"Hah, as I figured, Herr Wright, you have nothing to back you up! A good guitarist always has a back-up guitar. So should a lawyer have back-up evidence."

_Why must every analogy he gives has to be about guitars?_

"OBJECTION! Instead of physical evidence, I have a witness…if he wants to testify."

"If he…wants to testify?"

"…yes, your honor."

"Mr. Wright! This court will not tolerate this! If he is able to testify, let him testify now."

"Your honor…I don't know…you see…"

"Are you telling me that your witness isn't ready?"

"…yes, your honor."

The judge shook his head. "Mr. Wright…I'm afraid you just set a record for the shortest court ever."

"What do you mean, your honor?"

"I mean I am ready to deliver my verdict."

_WHAT!? No…she's innocent…I know she is!_

"Herr Wright, I thought you would have been more of a challenge. It appears I was wrong."

_No…NO!_

"The court finds the defendant, Stacy Cluman, gu—"

"Hold it!"

Phoenix looked to the entrance of the courtroom, to see Jonathan walking up. "Your honor, I'm ready to testify."

"Testify?"

Phoenix slammed on his desk. "Your honor, this is my witness! He will prove beyond a doubt who George Harty really is!"

"How so, Mr. Wright?"

"My witness is none other than Jonathan Crinkle himself!"

The crowd erupted into chatter, then was silenced by the judge. "Order! Order! Mr. Wright, you may call your witness."

"…uh…he's already there, your honor."

"Oh…sorry, out of habit."

_Please tell me handing down guilty verdicts isn't a habit…_

"Name and occupation."

"Jonathan Crinkle…and I don't have an occupation."

The judge looked shocked. "What do you mean you don't have an occupation?"

"I live in Kurain Village. The culture there…revolves around women. There isn't anything I do there."

"I see…very well, please testify about George Harty."

"Georgy Harty is not his real name. His real name is Gary Crinkle. He helped me hide a body several years ago and blackmailed me into trying to kill Maya Fey."

"I…I can't believe it. Your cross-examination Mr. Wright."

"George Harty is not his real name—"

"Hold it! When did he change his name?"

"Actually, his name is still Gary. George Harty is just an alias he uses."

"I see…

"His real name is Gary Crinkle—'

"Hold it! Are you positive that's his real name?"

"…I don't think that requires an answer."

_Oops, should have asked a better question._

"He helped me hide a body several years ago—"

"Hold it! Why are you saying this now?"

"That's because I'm tired of him bossing me around. I haven't been able to walk freely ever since then. Releasing this will regain my life."

"I see. Please continue witness."

"He blackmailed me into trying to kill Maya Fey—"

"Hold it! However, you stopped trying to do that!"

"That may be true, but I know what I almost did. If it wasn't for you…I don't know if I had the guts to do it, but you saved her from me, from my brother."

The judge slammed his gavel. "It seems we can accurately say that George Harty is Gary Crinkle."

"OBJECTION! Herr Wright, what exactly did this cross-examination prove?"

"That the witness wasn't Goerge Harty."

"Exactly. The only thing it proved was perjury, nothing else."

"OBJECTION! Do you even remember the reason why we called him up to begin with?"

"Of course, it was your delusional tactic to casting doubt on Carly Martinez's testimony."

Phoenix shook his head. "Which it did."

"What?"

"You see, 'George Harty' was lying, casting his whole testimony into doubt. Since his testimony is in doubt, Carly's claim that she knew who Maya was because of him was also thrown into doubt."

"NO!"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Bailiff, bring back Carly Martinez into the courtroom."

Soon, Carly stood at the witness stand. She still didn't put her make-up on correctly, but her shirt was put on properly, and she straightened her hair. "Ms. Marinez, your claim that the security guard told you about Maya just doesn't work out. I'm afraid that your testimony about how you knew Maya is therefore thrown out."

"What!? This can't be!"

"It would seem that you are guilty of perjury…and of attempted murder. However, another court date will be set for you later. Bailiff, please arrest Ms. Martinez and put her in—"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix looked at Klavier, who looked as surprised as he was. Looking around, Phoenix saw Kelsey Pills, the witness from the first day, walk angrily to the witness stand.

"I can't believe that you did this Jonathan!"

"Kelsey…you, just like Gary, are sick and twisted."

"Sick and twisted eh? Well, we'll see about that…in court."

"What do you mean?"

"Your honor, I'm here to testify that Carly didn't commit perjury or attempted murder!"

"W…WHAAT?!"

The crowd erupted. The judge couldn't control them, so declared a ten minute recess.

And that ends the chapter. I know, that's one chapter closer to the end of the story, but it had to be done. Please don't forget to review and thanks for reading. Oh, and if any of you guys wants to add one of my characters to your fanfic, just pm me and I'll probably give you permission.


	39. Chapter 39

And I'm back with another chapter of Objection! Quite a few things I need to say first. First, thanks for watching. Second, for all of you guys to know, I have made a decision on this story. There will be more than just a sequel. I'm planning on doing about four or five stories all stemming from this one. Hope you guys will enjoy them. Finally, in case any of you guys have figured it out, I'm also on YouTube. As you can guess, my name is 801tman on there too. I'm currently doing a couple let's plays, which includes Phoenix Wright. Well, that's all, on with the chapter.

Phoenix was pacing back and forth in the defendant's lobby. _How could this have happened? _Stacy Cluman was just staring at the wall, while Maya was fiddling with her talisman. Jonathan walked into the room and went to Phoenix. "Mr. Wright, that's my sister, Kelsey. For some reason, she only changed her last name."

"Ah, so what's she like?"

"Just as I said back there, sick and twisted. We were really close in our childhood. Then, when she went to high school, she changed. She never was the same loving girl that I knew. Gary eventually followed in her footsteps."

"So, Kelsey started it all?"

"Yep. I never wanted to be a part of what they were doing, but they sucked me into it that night."

"The night of the two murders?"

"Yeah. They told me that they were going on a night hike and they wanted me to come along. I, thinking that they would be the same people I knew when I was a kid, went along. Not long after the hike began, I had the feeling that it wasn't really a friendly hike."

"What made you think that?"

"They each had guns. They gave me a handgun saying I needed it in case a bear attacked us. It wasn't used for killing bears."

Before Phoenix could respond, the bailiff told Phoenix the recess was almost over. Phoenix looked at Jonathan, who nodded his head.

The intense chatter from the crowd was silenced by the harsh banging of the judge's gavel. "ORDER! ORDER! Very well, I believe we have a witness to hear."

"You're right, Herr Judge. The prosecution calls Kelsey Pills to the stand again."

Kelsey hastily walked up to the witness stand. "Name and occu—"

"Shut up, we've already went over this!"

_I have a bad feeling about this…_

"Uh…you may testify about—"

"I said SHUT UP!"

*gulp*

"Carly Martinez wasn't there last night. It was all a made up trick to keep the trial going. Now, if you excuse us, we'll be leaving."

"What do you mean you'll be leaving?"

"Just as I said, I have to go."

"OBJECTION! Sorry, Ms. Pill, you get to chat with me some more…during cross-examination."

"mmph…"

"Carly Martinez wasn't there last night—"

"Hold it! Her brother was arrested and had to be released. I'm sure she had to be there."

"…his parents bailed him out yet again. That's all there is to it."

_Sheesh_

"It was all a made up trick to keep the trial going—"

"Hold it! Why would you need to keep the trial going?"

"Uh…because…I like a long trial!"

"…..okay, honestly now, why?"

"Urgh, fine, to gain more time to kill Maya Fey."

"Oh? Would you like to add that to your testimony?"

"Of course I would Spikey!"

_Well, I'm actually kinda glad I got my spikey hair back…_

"We postponed the trial to gain time to kill Maya Fey!"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix slammed the desk. "You just contradicted yourself, Kelsey."

"What do you mean?"

"You strictly said during the beginning of the trial that Carly wasn't a part of an attempted murder, correct?"

"Yeah, so?"

Phoenix shook his head. "But it seems you just admitted to it."

"Wha…! NO!"

"Based off of what you said, Carly knew you guys were trying to kill Maya. Therefore, in order to stall the trial, you had her testify to gain more time. Therefore, she was a part of an attempted murder!"

"NO!"

The crowd erupted, to be penetrated by Klavier's "OBJECTION!"

"Herr Wright, it seems we've drifted severely off course."

"What do you mean?"

"We have yet to examine whether or not your client, Stacy Cluman, was actually the killer. This trial is about the murder behind the bail bonds, not about your precious assistant"

_Ugh…he's right._

"I see, so, Mr. Gavin, what's our next course of action?"

"First, I'd like to present an updated autopsy report. The first autopsy was clumsily done."

The bailiff took the autopsy report copies and handed one to Phoenix. "Victim died to four gunshot wounds, penetrating the stomach and liver. Bullets fired at point-blank."

_I see…_

"Also, three of the seven bullet casings have never been fired."

"What do you mean?"

"They were placed there, to mislead us to the number of shots."

"I see…well, that doesn't prove Stacy Cluman's guilt though."

"Another testimony from Ms. Pill should suffice."

_ANOTHER testimony? I don't want to face her again…_

"…Fine, I'll testify."

"Stacy and the victim were standing out in the back. Suddenly, after much shouting, she pulled out a gun and shot him four times, from quite a distance. Then, she emptied the cartridge of the bullets and placed them at the scene."

"Ms. Pill…why didn't you testify about this before?"

"As I said, I wanted to postpone the trial, so I told that testimony."

"I see…don't you ever lie to us again. Mr. Wright, your cross-examination.

_Why isn't she guilty of perjury already?_

"Stacy and the victim were standing out in the back—"

"Hold it! What were they doing back there?"

"Arguing. That part of my testimony holds true. They were arguing about Stacy not being paid or something."

"I see. Please continue witness."

"Suddenly, after much shouting, she pulled out a gun and shot him four times, from quite a distance—"

"OBJECTION! Ms. Pill…you're lying…yet again."

"What do you mean?"

"The victim was fired at point-blank, not from a distance."

"What? How do you know?"

"Two things. One, the autopsy report says so. Two, I'll admit I missed this the first time I saw this picture, but there's gunpowder burns on the victim's clothes."

"Gunpowder burn?"

"Yes, a gun leaves residue when it if fired. When fired at point-blank, the gunpowder leaves a burn on the clothing."

"No…this can't be…"

_Finally, I can deliver the death blow._

"Kelsey, you're hiding something from us, and I know what it is."

"Wha—what is it?"

"You are the real murderer!"

"What?! NO! I didn't do anything!"

The crowd erupted again, only to be silenced by the judge. "Mr. Wright! She's a witness! She didn't do it!"

"Have you already forgotten your honor? I've captured a lot of criminals who were originally witnesses."

"That's….quite true. Very well, do you have anything to say Ms. Pill?"

"Of course I do! I'll prove I'm not the killer!"

_This is it. I've got her on the defense. Nowhere to go but forward!_

And going forward will be left…in the final chapter. *sob* I'll miss writing this story, but I'll have a lot of stories stemming from this. Please don't forget to review.


	40. Chapter 40

It's finally time for…the grand finale. I purposely delayed it a day so that the wait would be dramatic for you. After this chapter, I'll post another chapter with "The Case of the Missing Boy" but then I'll take a week break from writing fan fictions.

Christian Lumarta was watching the trial unfold. The news channel had managed to set up a camera in the courtroom and was watching the trial. He heard a female voice behind him. "They put themselves in a dangerous position."

"I know that. However, they're smarter than Phoenix Wright, they'll get out of this."

"I sure hope so. After all, I'm supposed to be the Master, not Maya Fey."

"Don't worry. If they fail, you still have me."

*Back at the courtroom*

"I didn't kill him! All I did was try to postpone the trial! I saw her shoot him from a distance! I swear it!"

"Hmm…Mr. Wright, this seems to be an odd turn of events. Your cross-examination."

_She's closing up. Gotta hit her hard and fast. _

"I didn't kill him! All I did was try to postpone the trial—"

"Hold it! So all you did was to postpone the trial?"

"Yeah, I did. Of course, my goal was to gain more time to kill Maya, but it seems we failed in that regard."

"I see….!"

_Did she just say "we"? _

"So who is this other person?"

"Huh?"

"You said so yourself, 'but it seems we failed in that regard.' So who is the other person?"

"Uh…"

"Mr. Wright, what are you getting at with this?"

"It's quite simple, your honor. The other person…is in fact…the killer!"

"What?! I thought you said Kelsey was the killer."

"I did say that, but she was an accomplice to the crime. The real killer is someone else!"

"WHAAAT!?"

"OBJECTION! Herr Wright, since you seem to know so much about this murderer, why don't you tell us who this murderer is."

_It all comes down to this. I have to think of everything that has happened so far._

The judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright, please tell us who this murderer is."

"Very well…the real murderer is…Gary Crinkle!"

"W—WHAAAAAT!?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense your honor. Gary posed as a security guard. Why? To make sure no one snitched on him. However, his plan changed when Carly Martinez used him as an excuse as to why she knew all about Maya."

"So, in other words, Herr Wright, Kelsey is the accomplice to the murder, while the real murderer is Gary?"

"Yes, his sister, Kelsey, was covering for him and Carly Martinez would take the fall."

"She would willingly take the death penalty?"

"That is something we still have to prove, motive of why she would take the fall."

"Well…do you have any thoughts about this motive Mr. Wright?"

"Well…if we go back to what has happened through the past week, we can clearly assume one thing, blackmail."

Out of the corner of his eye, Phoenix saw Carly twitch.

"How would you get this conclusion, Herr Wright?"

"Simple. Both Kelsey and Gary blackmailed their brother Jonathan into trying to kill his fiancé. I'm sure they found something out about Carly. Remember that Stacy told us that Carly knew Kelsey and were talking on the phone. Kelsey must have found something about her that was blackmail worthy. Then, she used Carly to do whatever Kelsey wanted her to do."

"So…this whole murder…came from the intent of trying to kill Maya?"

"Yes. Someone out there thinks that they should be the Master of Kurain Village. There is enough power associated with the position to make someone do drastic things to get it…including murder. Looking down the family line of the Master, sibling turned against sibling and family against family in order to get the coveted position of Master. This is no exception. Somehow, that person managed to convince most of the Crinkle family to side with them, probably by promising them power. Jonathan had no idea of this, which is explained by what he is doing now."

"Doing now?"

"For the past few week, I've been receiving texts. At first, they were from one Max Galactica. However, the Crinkles were on to him, so he was forced to stop feeding me info to stop their plans. That's when Jonathan came in. Devastated by the fact that he almost killed his fiancé, he tried to make it up to her, by helping me protect her. He warned me of a plot to poison Maya just two days ago. A plate of poisoned cookies were delivered to my office, but he called me, telling me about it. If it wasn't for him, their plans would have succeeded. Jonathan never wanted Maya dead. He truly loved her, but the influence of his family and what he did in the past basically forced him to almost kill her."

"So…that's the back story to this whole fiasco?"

"Yes. Now, I know that the prosecution will ask me where the proof is, and there is proof, with testimony. I believe that if Jonathan were to testify right now, he would coincide with my story, am I correct Jonathan?"

"…you are correct. I'm surprised how smart you are Mr. Wright, figuring this all out with just the slip of the tongue. Anyways, I was there when the victim, Joe Marly, was murdered. My brother and sister both committed the murder however. Joe was held by Gary while Kelsey shot him. Then, they placed three extra bullets on the ground to mess up the investigation. They wrote down Stacy's name because Carly gave her name to them. Carly had nothing to do with the murder, except with the name written down."

"JONATHAN! YOU TRAITOR!" Kelsey and Gary both shouted in unison.

"I was never loyal to your cause, therefore, I am not a traitor. Jail will do plenty of good for you guys. The old brother and sister I know are still in there, somewhere. Hopefully, they'll come back out during your sentences."

While Jonathan was talking, the judge whispered something to the bailiff who whispered something in his radio. A few seconds later, three armed officers walked into the courtroom. "Kelsey and Gary Crinkle, you're under arrest for the murder of Joe Marly, attempted murder of Maya Fey, and blackmail. You have the right to remain silent…" (speech continues)

As Kelsey and Gary were led away, the judge cleared his throat. "Will Stacy Cluman take the stand?"

Stacy rose from her seat and walked up to the stand. "Stacy…this is only a formality, but the court finds Stacy Cluman…NOT GUILTY!"

The crowd cheered and applauded. "That is all, this court is adjourned."

Phoenix and Maya left the defense's desk and into the defendant lobby, followed by a recently freed Stacy. "Mr. Wright…I—I don't know what to say. Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome Stacy."

"Mr. Wright!"

Turning around, Phoenix saw Jonathan running up to them. "Congratulations in there Mr. Wright!"

"Thank you, however, I couldn't have done it without you."

Stacy looked at Jonathan. "Yes…thank you. You basically gave me my life back...I can never thank you enough."

Jonathan grinned sheepishly. "No problem. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were found guilty."

Stacy blushed. "Thank you."

Phoenix grinned, noticing something was up, until he heard more voices. "Way to go pal!" and "Maya! I'm glad you're safe!"

Turning around, Phoenix saw Gumshoe, Ema Skye, and Lloyd Grescham run up to them. Lloyd immediately went up to Maya while Gumshoe and Ema went to Phoenix.

"I knew you could do it Pal! Besides, if things went south, we had a backup plan."

"You did?"

Ema gave Phoenix a proud look. "Gary will be charged with more than just one murder. I figured out, through the powers of science, that Gary also killed Apollo's client with the croissant."

"Ah, so if Jonathan's testimony didn't turn out well…"

"We would have come in and saved you."

"I see…thanks guys."

While everyone was talking, Phoenix stole a glance at Maya who was talking to Lloyd. Phoenix's heart yearned to go over there and finally confess to her, but he figured she had enough to think about for today. (Therefore, no Objection!...yet) Finally, Phoenix raised his voice. "Well everyone, why don't we go celebrate, my treat!"

Everyone agreed. As they were leaving the defendant lobby, Maya whispered to Phoenix, "I guess I'll have the most expensive thing on the menu then."

"OBJECTION!" (There is is…just now what I had planned on originally)

And that…ends Objection. *cries* I'll really miss this story, since this started my fanfiction career. However, I still have a whole series with this story planned, also with many parts from Objection! will be implemented into "The Case of the Missing Boy." Also, my friend has also started up a fanfiction career, just not with Phoenix Wright. He'll post it under miscellaneous: anime and it will be called "The Eyes of Death." Read it when he posts it here soon, I assure you it will be a good story. Okay, don't forget to review, and thanks for reading. Next week…the sequel to Objection! "The Continuous Objection!" will be posted.


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